BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) presents a significant health burden in Asia and remains a critical challenge. This study aims to delineate the PAH burden in Asia from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: Using the latest data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021, we evaluated and analyzed the distributions and patterns of PAH disease burden among various age groups, sexes, regions, and countries in Asia. Additionally, we examined the associations between PAH disease burden and key health system indicators, including the socio-demographic index (SDI) and the universal health coverage (UHC) index. RESULTS: In 2021, there were 25,989 new PAH cases, 103,382 existing cases, 13,909 PAH-associated deaths, and 385,755 DALYs attributed to PAH in Asia, which accounted for approximately 60% of global PAH cases. The age-standardized rates (ASRs) for prevalence and deaths were 2.05 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 1.66-2.52) per 100,000 population and 0.31 (95% UI: 0.23-0.38) per 100,000 population, respectively. From 1990 to 2021, Asia reported the lowest ASRs for PAH prevalence but the highest ASRs for deaths compared to other continents. While the ASRs for prevalence increased slightly, ASRs for mortality and DALYs decreased over time. This increasing burden of PAH was primarily driven by population growth and aging. The burden was especially pronounced among individuals aged ≥60 years and <9 years, who collectively accounted for the majority of deaths and DALYs. Moreover, higher SDI and UHC levels were linked to reduced incidence, but higher prevalence rates. CONCLUSIONS Although progress has been made in reducing PAH-related mortality and DALYs, the disease continues to impose a substantial burden in Asia, particularly among older adults and young children. Region-specific health policies should focus on improving early diagnosis, expanding access to treatment, and effectively addressing the growing PAH burden in the region.
Humans ; Global Burden of Disease ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Asia/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Aged ; Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension/mortality* ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/epidemiology*

Objective To assess the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy(CIN)in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension(CTEPH)after receiving balloon pulmonary angioplasty(BPA),and to evaluate the effect of the contrast agents on renal function.Methods A total of 143 CTEPH patients,who received BPA at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital of China from December 2018 to May 2022,were enrolled in this study.The clinical data,hemodynamic indicators,and serum creatinine(SC)concentrations within one week before and 48-72 h after BPA were collected.The estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)was calculated according to the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease(MDRD)formula.The SC concentration and eGFR changes before and after each BPA procedure were compared.The incidence of CIN and its risk factors were evaluated,and the changes in hemodynamics,SC and eGFR after the initial and last time of BPA treatment were analyzed.Results A total of 192 BPA procedures were performed in 115 CTEPH patients,including 88 BPA procedures in males and 103 BPA procedures in females.The mean amount of contrast agent used for each BPA was(145.58±47.26)mL.After BPA,12 patients developed 13 times of CIN,with an incidence of 6.8％.There was no significant differences(P＞0.05)in the baseline characteristics and SC concentration before BPA between CIN patients and non-CIN patients.In terms of the hemodynamic indexes,the mixed venous oxygen saturation(SvO2)in CIN patients was significantly lower than that in non-CIN patients(58.58％±10.38％vs.66.15％±8.02％,P=0.002),and no statistically significant differences(P＞0.05)in the other hemodynamic indexes existed between CIN group and non-CIN group.No statistically significant differences in SC concentration and eGFR existed before and after each BPA procedure.In patients who had received several BPA procedures,significant improvements in the SC[(78.09±18.760)μmol/L vs.(82.26±21.37)μmol/L,P＜0.001]and eGFR[(86.08±21.22)mL/(min·1.73 m2)vs.(82.07±22.05)mL/(min·1.73 m2),P=0.007]was achieved when compared with their baseline values.Conclusion CTEPH patients may develop CIN after receiving BPA treatment.After receiving several BPA treatments the patient's clinical symptoms and hemodynamics can be improved,and the patient's renal function is also significantly improved.

Cancer has become a major life-threatening disease globally.In recent years,precision therapy for cancer has gradually emerged,and significant success has been achieved with targeted therapies,immune checkpoint inhibitors,and the newly emerging antibody-drug conjugates(ADC).The development of ADC has been rapid,with up to 15 ADC drugs currently approved worldwide.However,the hepatotoxicity of ADC has gained increasing attention,with reports of fatal hepatotoxic events.In this article,we briefly reviewed the ADC approved globally,summarized the liver-related adverse events and hepatotoxic manifestations reported in current clinical trials of ADC,and compiled research on possible hepatotoxicity mechanisms.Our aim is to assist clinicians in understanding and managing the hepatotoxicity characteristics of ADC,enabling timely identification of patients at risk of hepatotoxicity and implementing effective measures to manage these risks,thus reducing and preventing serious adverse events.

With the increasing application of immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)in tumor therapy,ICIs hepatotoxicity has emerged as an inevitable challenge.Despite the fact that relevant guidelines have specifically addressed this issue in recent years,many difficulties still exist in clinical practice.In terms of diagnosis,the lack of specific diagnostic biomarkers for ICIs hepatotoxicity and the complexity of the etiology of liver injury,concomitant medications,and the clinical phenotypes of hepatotoxicity in cancer patients can make the diagnosis of ICIs hepatotoxicity difficult.In terms of management,the optimal dose and duration of steroid therapy,the choice of different immunosuppressants as rescue therapy,and the reintroduction of ICIs therapy are yet to be supported by high-quality evidence-based medical evidence.We discussed the above-mentioned challenges faced by clinicians in this article.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) is a major public health problem that seriously affects human health. At present, some good progress has been made in the research and development of new drugs for MASLD, but there is still great space for exploration. This paper summarizes and analyzes the reasons in the current clinical status and challenges for the research and development of new drugs for MASLD.

Drug can cause almost all known types of acute, subacute, and chronic liver injuries. Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an important cause of unexplained liver injury in clinical practice. Correct diagnosis of DILI is challenging due to lack of specific diagnostic biomarkers, especially in patients with pre-existing liver disease and multiple concomitant drugs. A comprehensive understanding of the risk factors, clinical features, and prognosis of liver injury caused by different drugs will help physicians to recognize, diagnose, and manage it timely. Although the guideline was developed based on evidence-based medicine provided by the latest studies, there is limited high-quality evidence in the field of DILI. Therefore, this guideline should be interpreted with caution, and physicians should adopt an optimal diagnostic and therapeutic strategy for individual patients within the framework of the guideline.

With the increasingly wide application of herbal medicines and dietary supplements worldwide,herb-induced liver injury(HILI)has become an important etiology of drug-induced liver injury.Due to the diverse manifestations of HILI,the difficulty in medical history collection,and the lack of specific biomarkers,how to identify suspected patients and make a correct diagnosis has become a major challenge in practice.Causality assessment is commonly used in the diagnosis of HILI,but there is still a lack of prospective cohort studies with a large sample size.In addition,further studies are needed to search for the specific biomarkers for the diagnosis of HILI.The diagnosis and differential diagnosis of HILI are challenging,and currently there is still no universally accepted uniform and standard method for the diagnosis of all-cause HILI.

Background::The potential impact of pre-existing coronary artery stenosis (CAS) on acute pulmonary embolism (PE) episodes remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association between pre-existing CAS and the elevation of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) levels in patients with PE.Methods::In this multicenter, prospective case-control study, 88 cases and 163 controls matched for age, sex, and study center were enrolled. Cases were patients with PE with elevated hs-cTnI. Controls were patients with PE with normal hs-cTnI. Coronary artery assessment utilized coronary computed tomographic angiography or invasive coronary angiography. CAS was defined as ≥50% stenosis of the lumen diameter in any coronary vessel >2.0 mm in diameter. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between CAS and hs-cTnI elevation.Results::The percentage of CAS was higher in the case group compared to the control group (44.3% [39/88] vs. 30.1% [49/163]; P = 0.024). In multivariable conditional logistic regression model 1, CAS (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.680; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.243–5.779), heart rate >75 beats/min (OR, 2.306; 95% CI, 1.056–5.036) and N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) >420 pg/mL (OR, 12.169; 95% CI, 4.792–30.900) were independently associated with elevated hs-cTnI. In model 2, right CAS (OR, 3.615; 95% CI, 1.467–8.909) and NT-proBNP >420 pg/mL (OR, 13.890; 95% CI, 5.288–36.484) were independently associated with elevated hs-cTnI. Conclusions::CAS was independently associated with myocardial injury in patients with PE. Vigilance towards CAS is warranted in patients with PE with elevated cardiac troponin levels.

Cancer has become a major life-threatening disease globally.In recent years,precision therapy for cancer has gradually emerged,and significant success has been achieved with targeted therapies,immune checkpoint inhibitors,and the newly emerging antibody-drug conjugates(ADC).The development of ADC has been rapid,with up to 15 ADC drugs currently approved worldwide.However,the hepatotoxicity of ADC has gained increasing attention,with reports of fatal hepatotoxic events.In this article,we briefly reviewed the ADC approved globally,summarized the liver-related adverse events and hepatotoxic manifestations reported in current clinical trials of ADC,and compiled research on possible hepatotoxicity mechanisms.Our aim is to assist clinicians in understanding and managing the hepatotoxicity characteristics of ADC,enabling timely identification of patients at risk of hepatotoxicity and implementing effective measures to manage these risks,thus reducing and preventing serious adverse events.

With the increasing application of immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)in tumor therapy,ICIs hepatotoxicity has emerged as an inevitable challenge.Despite the fact that relevant guidelines have specifically addressed this issue in recent years,many difficulties still exist in clinical practice.In terms of diagnosis,the lack of specific diagnostic biomarkers for ICIs hepatotoxicity and the complexity of the etiology of liver injury,concomitant medications,and the clinical phenotypes of hepatotoxicity in cancer patients can make the diagnosis of ICIs hepatotoxicity difficult.In terms of management,the optimal dose and duration of steroid therapy,the choice of different immunosuppressants as rescue therapy,and the reintroduction of ICIs therapy are yet to be supported by high-quality evidence-based medical evidence.We discussed the above-mentioned challenges faced by clinicians in this article.