Multidisciplinary

Tumour immune barrier determines immunotherapy efficacy in HCC

9 hours ago

A tumour immune barrier (TIB) structure formed by the interaction of SPP1+ macrophages and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) appears to influence the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), reveals a study.

STIs in women remain common despite doxycycline use after sex

Jairia Dela Cruz, 13 hours ago

Young cisgender women remain susceptible to contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) despite the use of doxycycline after sex, as shown in the results of the open-label DPEP Kenya study.

Secukinumab yields sustained positive effects on molecular, histopathologic psoriasis markers

15 hours ago

Treatment with secukinumab leads to sustained clinical response among patients with psoriasis, with clinical response being associated with rapid and persistent normalization of keratin 16 (K16) and inflammatory gene expression for most patients, according to data from the ObePso-S study.

Managing knee osteoarthritis using multimodal approach

21 hours ago

Dato’ Dr Lee Joon Kiong, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, explained about the management of knee osteoarthritis and proceeded to speak on flurbiprofen the 51st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Malaysian Orthopaedic Association during a Taisho Pharmaceutical sponsored symposium.

Long COVID: What are the risk and protective factors?

Natalia Reoutova, 21 hours ago

A population-based, multicentre study finds female gender, transportation-, logistics- or discipline-related occupation, living with domestic workers, smoking, poor or very poor self-perceived health status, ≥3 chronic diseases, chronic medication use, and critical severity of COVID-19 to be associated with severe long COVID, while prior receipt of ≥2 doses of COVID-19 vaccines serves as a protective factor.

Economic burden of dengue in Malaysia

21 hours ago

Dengue affects not only the economic aspect of a nation in terms of managing patients. Its effects are also seen in the social aspects of those affected, with quality of life (QoL) being severely affected. In this sixth interview of a series focused on dengue, Professors Akmal Shafie, Professor of Pharmacoeconomics at Universiti Sains Malaysia, shares his experiences in the field of health economics involving the burden of dengue.

Economic burden of dengue in Malaysia

01 Apr 2023

Managing knee osteoarthritis using multimodal approach

01 Apr 2023

EMPULSE trial confirms the efficacy and safety profile of empagliflozin in patients stabilized in hospital following acute heart failure

21 Mar 2023

Empagliflozin is the first SGLT-2i to significantly improve outcomes for patients with HF in any setting (in-hospital/outpatient), across the full spectrum of HF. Results from the EMPULSE trial showed that patients hospitalized for acute HF who were treated with empagliflozin following stabilization had 36% clinical benefit on the composite of mortality, HF events, and KCCQ-TSS improvement. The EMPULSE trial also provides a reassuring safety profile for empagliflozin that is consistent with previous trials.

NCDs in Focus Act Now! Summit 2022

16 Mar 2023

Viatris, a global healthcare company, collaborated with the Thai Hypertension Society and the Thai NCD Collaboration Group to organize the NCDs in Focus Act Now! Summit 2022 in Bangkok on October 29^th and 30^th. This summit brought together nearly 300 multidisciplinary experts from Southeast Asia and India to address the unmet needs in managing two critical noncommunicable diseases (NCDs): cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and mental health disorders (MHDs) in the region.

The summit had several key objectives. Firstly, it highlighted the effectiveness of clinical data in addressing gaps and unmet needs in clinical practice. Secondly, it emphasized the importance of sharing expertise and best practices through a platform that can optimize patient care. Additionally, it discussed the challenges of cardiovascular disease and mental health disorder care in a post COVID-19 world, and the need to re-examine them.

The summit also offered valuable insights into policy and practice changes, as well as innovative digital solutions that can lead to better outcomes. Lastly, it emphasized the significance of gaining a deeper understanding of the gaps in the patient journey to enhance patient care further.

Overall, the NCDs in Focus Act Now! Summit 2022 was a highly informative and productive event, with experts collaborating to improve the management of CVDs and MHDs in Southeast Asia and India.

Optimising treatment of erectile dysfunction with avanafil, a highly selective second-generation phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor

01 Mar 2023

A recent webinar on Men’s Health featured the use of avanafil – a second-generation phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). The webinar was jointly organised by A. Menarini together with the Malaysian Medical Association and Malaysian Pharmacists Society.

Microbiome in balance: Harnessing the power of skin microbiota.

01 Mar 2023

During the 47th annual general meeting and dermatology conference of the Dermatological Society of Malaysia Tarun Chopra, advanced research director at L’Oréal Singapore and co-director of the joint microbiome lab between L’Oréal and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, presented an overview of the impact of skin microbiota dysbiosis on the development of skin disorders and the potential therapeutic role of microbiome-friendly products in the management of these diseases.

Should We Treat Earlier for Polycythaemia Vera (PV)?

01 Mar 2023

At the recent Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN) Expert Forum, Professor Dr Claire Harrison presented a lecture titled “Unmet Need and Future Direction in Polycythaemia Vera (PV).” Harrison discussed the problems associated with PV treatment, new diagnostic guidelines for the disease and role of ruxolitinib in PV treatment. Harrison is Clinical Director and Professor of MPN, Guy’s and St. Thomas Hospital, London, UK.

Certain ART combinations carry some risk of depression among women with HIV

Jairia Dela Cruz, 31 Mar 2023

Women with HIV who use antiretroviral therapy (ART) combinations such as tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) with a cobicistat-boosted integrase inhibitor (INSTI) or protease inhibitor (PI) appear to frequently show somatic depressive symptoms, according to data from the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) presented at CROI 2023.

Novel device delivers improvements for BPH symptoms

Audrey Abella, 31 Mar 2023

The Optilume™ BPH Catheter System, a novel minimally invasive surgical therapy (MIST), provided rapid improvements for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the PINNACLE trial reports.

No drawback to immediate complete revascularization in ACS

Elvira Manzano, 29 Mar 2023

Doing an immediate complete revascularization of coronary artery lesions is as safe as a staged complete revascularization approach in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and multivessel disease in the BIOVASC trial presented at ACC.23/WCC.

Promising treatment options for chronic hives on the horizon

Jairia Dela Cruz, 28 Mar 2023

Dupilumab, barzolvolimab, and remibrutinib appear to help reduce disease activity in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, according to the results of three studies presented at AAAAI 2023.

Biologics lower exacerbation rates in severe asthma, allergic rhinitis

Elaine Soliven, 28 Mar 2023

Treatment with either omalizumab (anti-immunoglobulin E [anti-IgE]) or nonomalizumab (non-anti-IgE) biologics reduced exacerbations in patients with severe asthma and allergic rhinitis, with the benefits being more evident among those taking nonomalizumab agents, according to the CHRONICLE trial presented at AAAAI 2023.

Peanut allergy guideline adherence remains low in US

Oral, on-the-skin immunotherapies show promise against peanut allergy in children

Stephen Padilla, 27 Mar 2023

Children who are allergic to peanuts may benefit from two immunotherapies, one oral and another epicutaneous or on-the-skin, which have demonstrated safety and efficacy in separate studies presented at the recent AAAAI 2023.