1.PSMA expression in hepatic colorectal cancer metastasis
Eundong PARK ; Michel KMEID ; Xin WANG ; Haiyan QIU ; Clifton G. FULMER ; Marcello P. TOSCANO ; Nusret Bekir SUBASI ; Maciej GRACZ ; Hwajeong LEE
Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine 2026;60(1):107-123
Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is expressed in the neovasculature of various malignancies, such as colorectal cancer (CRC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, PSMA expression in hepatic CRC metastasis has not been studied in detail. Methods: The PSMA expression in primary CRC and corresponding hepatic metastasis was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in a metastatic CRC cohort (n = 56), which was divided into subgroups according to treatment history and timing of metastasis. Demographic and histological characteristics of primary CRC were collected and their relationships with PSMA expression were examined. Additionally, the PSMA expression in resected HCC (n = 76) was compared with that of hepatic CRC metastasis. Results: In primary CRC, PSMA level showed a positive association with tumor size. Lower PSMA expression in hepatic metastasis was associated with higher primary CRC grade, advanced pTNM stage at the time of CRC resection, presence of tumor deposit, and unresectability of metastatic lesion. PSMA expression in primary CRC correlated with that in hepatic metastasis only in concurrent and untreated metastasis subgroup. PSMA expression in primary CRC and hepatic metastasis, regardless of treatment history and timing of metastasis, was not significantly different from that of HCC. Conclusions: Several adverse pathological features of primary CRC were associated with a lower PSMA expression in hepatic metastasis. PSMA expression in hepatic metastasis correlated with that of primary CRC only in concurrent and untreated subgroup. Primary HCC and hepatic CRC metastasis show comparable levels of PSMA expression.
2.Risk Assessment for Ramadan Fasting in People With Diabetes in Hospital-Based Diabetes Clinics Using the Updated 2026 IDF-DAR Risk Calculator
Raja Nurazni Raja Azwan ; Chin Voon Tong ; Lisa Mohamed Nor ; Marisa Khatijah Borhan ; Syarifah Syahirah Syed Abas ; Poh Shean Wong ; Ying Jie Tan ; Shartiyah Ismail ; Eunice Yi Chwen Lau ; Yueh Chien Kuan ; Noor Hafis Md Tob ; Shu Teng Chai ; Pei Lin Chan ; Xe Hui Lee ; Wei Wei Ng ; Jin Hui Ho ; Miza Hiryanti Zakaria ; Rabeah Md Zuki ; Wan Mohd Hafez Wan Hamzah ; Melissa Vergis ; Choon Peng Sun ; Vanusha Devaraja Pillai ; Chee Koon Low ; Shazatul Reza Mohd Redzuan ; Xin-Yi Ooi ; Siti Sanaa Wan Azman ; Deviga Lachumanan ; Saiful Shahrizal Shudim ; Zanariah Hussein
Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies 2026;41(S1):42-43
Introduction:
The 2021 IDF-DAR risk calculator had been previously
evaluated in multiple studies and subsequently widely
accepted and applied in clinical practice as a practical
standardized tool for patient risk stratification. Recently
updated, the 2026 IDF-DAR Risk calculator enables a more individualized, evidence-related evaluation of patientrelated and disease-related risk factors, incorporating
modern diabetes technologies, including continuous
glucose monitoring (CGM), automated insulin delivery
(AID) systems, and advanced insulin formulations to
enhance risk stratification. This tool allows medical
professionals to tailor Ramadan practices based on overall
factors toward promoting safe fasting.
Methodology:
This prospective multicentre observational study recruited
adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes attending public
hospitals nationwide. People with diabetes (PwD) intending
to perform Ramadan fasting were invited to participate
and assessed using the 2026 IDF-DAR Risk Calculator in
the 6-week pre-Ramadan period between 30th January and
19th March 2026.
Results:
A total of 458 PwD were evaluated and stratified into low
(15.7%), moderate (41%), and high risk (43.3%) categories.
Most participants had Type 2 diabetes (83.6%), with 60.3%
having a disease duration exceeding 10 years and 43%
exhibiting poor glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c >9%).
Insulin therapy was used by 76.4% of participants, including
two individuals with Type 1 diabetes using AID systems.
Most participants reported no recent hypoglycemia (76.4%),
81.0% performed glucose monitoring, and 3.3% used CGM.
Severe comorbidities were uncommon, with 1.1% having
unstable macrovascular disease and 4.4% advanced chronic
kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate <30).
Notably, 72.2% received structured Ramadan education.
Conclusion
Majority of PwD attending tertiary diabetes clinics were
in the moderate- to high-risk category and intended to
fast despite medical advice against fasting in some cases.
Although most participants were on insulin therapy,
hypoglycemia was low in the pre-Ramadan period.
Integration of modern technologies, advanced insulin
therapies, and structured education may support safer
fasting practices.
Risk Assessment
;
Diabetes Mellitus
;
Hospitals
;
Fasting
3.Awareness and attitudes of elderly Southeast Asian adults towards telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.
Ryan Eyn Kidd MAN ; Aricia Xin Yi HO ; Ester Pei Xuan LEE ; Eva Katie Diana FENWICK ; Amudha ARAVINDHAN ; Kam Chun HO ; Gavin Siew Wei TAN ; Daniel Shu Wei TING ; Tien Yin WONG ; Khung Keong YEO ; Su-Yen GOH ; Preeti GUPTA ; Ecosse Luc LAMOUREUX
Singapore medical journal 2025;66(5):256-264
INTRODUCTION:
We aimed to understand the awareness and attitudes of elderly Southeast Asians towards telehealth services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in this study.
METHODS:
In this qualitative study, 78 individuals from Singapore (51.3% female, mean age 73.0 ± 7.6 years) were interviewed via telephone between 13 May 2020 and 9 June 2020 during Singapore's first COVID-19 'circuit breaker'. Participants were asked to describe their understanding of telehealth, their experience of and willingness to utilise these services, and the barriers and facilitators underlying their decision. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, guided by the United Theory of Acceptance Use of Technology framework.
RESULTS:
Of the 78 participants, 24 (30.8%) were able to describe the range of telehealth services available and 15 (19.2%) had previously utilised these services. Conversely, 14 (17.9%) participants thought that telehealth comprised solely home medication delivery and 50 (51.3%) participants did not know about telehealth. Despite the advantages offered by telehealth services, participants preferred in-person consultations due to a perceived lack of human interaction and accuracy of diagnoses, poor digital literacy and a lack of access to telehealth-capable devices.
CONCLUSION
Our results showed poor overall awareness of the range of telehealth services available among elderly Asian individuals, with many harbouring erroneous views regarding their use. These data suggest that public health education campaigns are needed to improve awareness of and correct negative perceptions towards telehealth services in elderly Asians.
Humans
;
COVID-19/epidemiology*
;
Female
;
Telemedicine
;
Aged
;
Male
;
Singapore/epidemiology*
;
Qualitative Research
;
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
;
SARS-CoV-2
;
Aged, 80 and over
;
Middle Aged
;
Pandemics
;
Awareness
;
Asian People
;
Southeast Asian People
6.Singapore Myeloma Study Group consensus guidelines for the management of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
Sanjay DE MEL ; Allison Cy TSO ; Cinnie Y SOEKOJO ; Melissa G OOI ; Chi Ching LIM ; Constance TEO ; Yun Xin CHEN ; Melinda TAN ; Aditi MANJERI ; Zhao Yuan LEE ; Daryl TAN ; Liang King LEE ; Ling CAO ; Yeow Tee GOH ; Chandramouli NAGARAJAN ; Wee Joo CHNG
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2025;54(9):561-584
7.Risk-based screening programmes for cancer diagnosis: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.
Yong Yi TAN ; Sara TASNIM ; Mohammad Fahmy Bin FADZIL ; Xin Rong NG ; Sabrina Kw WONG ; Jo-Anne Elizabeth MANSKI-NANKERVIS ; Joseph Jao-Yiu SUNG ; Joanne NGEOW
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2025;54(10):644-663
INTRODUCTION:
Risk-based screening (RBS) has emerged as a promising alternative to age-based cancer screening. However, evidence regarding real-world implementation outcomes remains fragmented. Thus, a systematic review was conducted to evaluate the implementation metho-dologies and outcomes of RBS programmes across different cancer types.
METHODS:
MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Scopus were systematically searched from their respective dates of inception up to 8 July 2024. Prospective and rando-mised controlled trials (RCTs), which implement the RBS of cancer in an asymptomatic population, or studies retrospectively evaluating the outcomes of the same were included. Geographic distribution, population characteristics, RBS methodology, diagnostic accuracy and clinical outcomes were narratively synthesised.
RESULTS:
Among the 33 included studies (i.e. 21 prospective cohort, 8 RCTs, 3 retrospective and 1 non-RCT), sample sizes ranged from 102 to 1,429,890 participants. Most RBS trials were conducted in China (n=7, 21.2%), followed by the Netherlands (n=4, 12.1%) then the US, Australia and Sweden (n=3, 9.8%). Studies predominantly examined colorectal (27.3%), breast (21.2%) and prostate cancer (18.2%). Three main stratification approaches emerged: algorithmic (48.5%), validated risk models (39.4%) and physician assessment (9.1%). Implementation outcomes showed higher uptake in moderate-risk (75.4%) compared to high-risk (71.3%) and low-risk groups (67.9%). Five studies demonstrated cost-effectiveness with increased quality-adjusted life years, while 12 studies showed superior or non-inferior cancer detection rates compared to traditional screening.
CONCLUSION
The RBS of cancer has the potential to optimise healthcare resource allocation while minimising harm and increasing receptiveness for patients. More work is needed to evaluate long-term outcomes prior to the scaling of RBS programmes.
Humans
;
Early Detection of Cancer/methods*
;
Neoplasms/diagnosis*
;
Risk Assessment
;
Mass Screening/methods*
8.Development of Korean Representative Headforms for the Total Inward Leakage Testing on Filtering Facepiece Respirators
Ah Lam LEE ; Xin CUI ; Hayoung JUNG ; Hee Eun KIM ; Eun Jin JEON ; Hyungjin NA ; Eunmi KIM ; Heecheon YOU
Safety and Health at Work 2024;15(1):42-52
Background:
The lack of headforms that accurately reflect the head characteristics of Koreans and the demographic composition of the Korean population can lead to inadequate FFR testing and reduced effectiveness of FFRs.MethodDirect measurements of 5,110 individuals and 3D measurements of 2,044 individuals, aged between 9 and 69 years, were sampled from the data pool of Size Korea surveys based on the age and gender ratios of the Korean resident demographics. Seven head dimensions were selected based on the ISO 16976-2, availability of Size Korea measurements, and their relevance to the fit performance of FFRs. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using the direct measurements to extract the main factors explaining the head characteristics and then the main factors were standardized and remapped to 3D measurements, creating five size categories representing Korean head shapes. Lastly, representative 3D headforms were constructed by averaging five head shapes for each size category.
Results:
The study identified two main factors explaining Korean head characteristics by the PCA procedure specified in ISO 16976-2 and developed five representative headforms reflecting the anthropometric features of Korean heads: medium, small, large, short & wide, and long & narrow.
Conclusion
This study developed representative headforms tailored to the Korean population for conducting total inward leakage (TIL) tests on filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). The representative headforms can be used for TIL testing by employing robotic headforms to enhance the performance of FFRs for the Korean target population.
9.Management of Male Infertility with Coexisting Sexual Dysfunction: A Consensus Statement and Clinical Recommendations from the Asia-Pacific Society of Sexual Medicine (APSSM) and the Asian Society of Men’s Health and Aging (ASMHA)
Eric CHUNG ; Jiang HUI ; Zhong Cheng XIN ; Sae Woong KIM ; Du Geon MOON ; Yiming YUAN ; Koichi NAGAO ; Lukman HAKIM ; Hong-Chiang CHANG ; Siu King MAK ; Gede Wirya Kusuma DUARSA ; Yutian DAI ; Bing YAO ; Hwancheol SON ; William HUANG ; Haocheng LIN ; Quang NGUYEN ; Dung Ba Tien MAI ; Kwangsung PARK ; Joe LEE ; Kavirach TANTIWONGSE ; Yoshikazu SATO ; Bang-Ping JIANN ; Christopher HO ; Hyun Jun PARK
The World Journal of Men's Health 2024;42(3):471-486
Male infertility (MI) and male sexual dysfunction (MSD) can often coexist together due to various interplay factors such as psychosexual, sociocultural and relationship dynamics. The presence of each form of MSD can adversely impact male reproduction and treatment strategies will need to be individualized based on patients’ factors, local expertise, and geographical socioeconomic status. The Asia Pacific Society of Sexual Medicine (APSSM) and the Asian Society of Men’s Health and Aging (ASMHA) aim to provide a consensus statement and practical set of clinical recommendations based on current evidence to guide clinicians in the management of MI and MSD within the Asia-Pacific (AP) region. A comprehensive, narrative review of the literature was performed to identify the various forms of MSD and their association with MI. MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for the following English language articles under the following terms: “low libido”, “erectile dysfunction”, “ejaculatory dysfunction”, “premature ejaculation”, “retrograde ejaculation”, “delayed ejaculation”, “anejaculation”, and “orgasmic dysfunction” between January 2001 to June 2022 with emphasis on published guidelines endorsed by various organizations. This APSSM consensus committee panel evaluated and provided evidence-based recommendations on MI and clinically relevant MSD areas using a modified Delphi method by the panel and specific emphasis on locoregional socioeconomic-cultural issues relevant to the AP region. While variations exist in treatment strategies for managing MI and MSD due to geographical expertise, locoregional resources, and sociocultural factors, the panel agreed that comprehensive fertility evaluation with a multidisciplinary management approach to each MSD domain is recommended. It is important to address individual MI issues with an emphasis on improving spermatogenesis and facilitating reproductive avenues while at the same time, managing various MSD conditions with evidence-based treatments. All therapeutic options should be discussed and implemented based on the patient’s individual needs, beliefs and preferences while incorporating locoregional expertise and available resources.
10.ONE HEATLH: The need for a robust framework
International e-Journal of Science, Medicine and Education 2024;18(1):2-7
One Health approach emphasises the interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health, advocating for a collaborative and multidisciplinary strategy to address global health challenges. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of such an integrated approach has never been clearer. We explore how the One Health framework can enhance our preparedness for future pandemics. In addition to roles of surveillance, early detection, policy development, we highlight the impact of noncommunicable diseases and economy addressing future pandemics. We conclude that integrating advanced technologies, enhancing surveillance systems, and fostering inter-disciplinary collaboration between private and public, national and international, are essential to ensuring resilient, sustainable and equitable health system


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