Advancing breast cancer and lung cancer screening: Expert perspectives to advance programmes in Singapore.

Introduction: The high prevalence and mortality rates of breast cancer and lung cancer in Singapore necessitate robust screening programmes to enable early detection and intervention for improved patient outcomes, yet 2024 uptake and coverage remain suboptimal. This narrative review synthesises expert perspectives from a recent roundtable discussion and proposes strategies to advance breast cancer and lung cancer screening programmes.

Method: A 2024 roundtable convened clinical practitioners, health policymakers, researchers and patient advocates discussed current challenges and opportunities for improving cancer screening in Singapore.

Integrating traditional Chinese medicine into disease management in Singapore.

Introduction: While traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history and continues to be widely practised, its overall clinical efficacy according to conventional scientific standards remains the topic of ongoing research and exploration. This review focuses on the potential use of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in combination with Western medicine in Singapore, based on recently published data on the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these TCM treatments.

Method: We collated and summarised 71 research papers published in the past decade, focusing on randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and population-based cohort studies that had a total sample size (treatment and control arms) exceeding 60.

Factors associated with persistent high healthcare service utilisers in Singapore: A population health analysis.

Introduction: Albeit comprising a small portion of the hospital population, persistent high utilisers (PHUs) contribute disproportionately to healthcare expenditures. Amid rising healthcare costs and an ageing population, this study examines factors associated with PHUs among residents in eastern Singapore.

Method: This is a retrospective study of eligible patients at Changi General Hospital in Singapore between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022.

Automatic brain segmentation in cognitive impairment: Validation of AI-based AQUA software in the Southeast Asian BIOCIS cohort.

Introduction: Interpretation and analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in clinical settings comprise time-consuming visual ratings and complex neuroimage processing that require trained professionals. To combat these challenges, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can aid clinicians in interpreting brain MRI for accurate diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases but they require extensive validation. Thus, the aim of this study was to validate the use of AI-based AQUA (Neurophet Inc.

Evaluating the impact of relative dose intensity on efficacy of trastuzumab deruxtecan for metastatic breast cancer in the real-world clinical setting.

Introduction: Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) has revolutionised treatment for metastatic breast cancer (MBC). While effective, its high cost and toxicities, such as fatigue and nausea, pose challenges.

Method: Medical records from the Joint Breast Cancer Registry in Singapore were used to study MBC patients treated with T-DXd (February 2021-June 2024).

Participants' Perspectives on the iCareBreast Mobile-Based Perioperative Care Program for Women Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery: Qualitative Process Evaluation.

Background: Breast cancer treatment, particularly during the perioperative period, is often accompanied by significant psychological distress, including anxiety and uncertainty. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have emerged as promising tools to provide timely psychosocial support through convenient, flexible, and personalized platforms. While research has explored the use of mHealth in breast cancer prevention, care management, and survivorship, few studies have examined patients' experiences with mobile interventions during the perioperative phase of breast cancer treatment.

Biparametric vs Multiparametric MRI for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: The PRIME Diagnostic Clinical Trial.

Importance: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with or without prostate biopsy, has become the standard of care for diagnosing clinically significant prostate cancer. Resource capacity limits widespread adoption. Biparametric MRI, which omits the gadolinium contrast sequence, is a shorter and cheaper alternative offering time-saving capacity gains for health systems globally.

Interferon-induced miR-7705 modulates the anti-virus activity of cholesterol 25-hydroxylase.

Unlabelled: Cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H), an interferon-stimulated gene (ISG), has been implicated in broad-spectrum antiviral immunity. Here, we identify CH25H as a potent suppressor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication that significantly outperforms IFN-α in reducing HBV DNA, pregenomic RNA (pgRNA), HBsAg, and HBeAg, without inducing cytotoxicity. However, CH25H is weakly expressed in hepatocytes and only modestly induced by type I interferon.

Pure-Green Circularly Polarized Multiple Resonance Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Enantiomers with Discontinuous Fused Benzene Rings.

Helicene-based circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials suffer from severely low color purity in circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs). Here, a novel molecular engineering strategy is introduced by replacing helicene containing continuous fused benzene rings with a multiple resonance (MR) framework comprising discontinuous fused benzene rings. This approach effectively suppresses high-frequency C─C bond stretching vibrations and enhances short-range charge transfer, enabling high color purity, CPL activity, and efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF).

Disentangling temporal trends of clade Ib monkeypox virus transmission in Burundi.

Utilising mpox case data from Burundi between August 2024 and April 2025, we calibrated a mathematical model to quantify the temporal trends of clade Ib monkeypox virus transmission. The model outputs indicated a declining overall transmission trend. Children aged 0-4 and 5-9 years were estimated to be at higher risk of infection compared to older age groups, while sexual contact was inferred to contribute up to 50% of the overall transmission.

Wafer-scale integration of monolayer MoS residue-free support layer etching and angular strain suppression.

A crack-free and residue-free transfer technique for large-area, atomically-thin 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as MoS and WS is critical for their integration into next-generation electronic devices, either as channel materials replacing silicon or as back-end-of-line (BEOL) components in 3D-integrated nano-systems on CMOS platforms. However, cracks are frequently observed during the debonding of TMDCs from their growth substrates, and polymer or metal residues are often left behind after the removal of adhesive support layers wet etching. These issues stem from excessive angular strain accumulated during debonding and the incomplete removal of support layers due to their low solubility.

Drug-Eluting Resorbable Scaffold Versus Balloon Angioplasty for Below-the-Knee Peripheral Artery Disease: 2-Year Results From the LIFE-BTK Trial.

Background: Limited treatment options exist for infrapopliteal disease in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), a condition associated with a high risk of limb loss. Interventional management of diseased infrapopliteal vessels with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is associated with high rates of restenosis and reintervention. In the LIFE-BTK trial, the drug-eluting resorbable scaffold (DRS) demonstrated superior 12-month efficacy compared with PTA in a selected CLTI population with predominantly noncomplex, mildly to moderately calcified lesions.

Performance of vision language models for optic disc swelling identification on fundus photographs.

Introduction: Vision language models (VLMs) combine image analysis capabilities with large language models (LLMs). Because of their multimodal capabilities, VLMs offer a clinical advantage over image classification models for the diagnosis of optic disc swelling by allowing a consideration of clinical context. In this study, we compare the performance of non-specialty-trained VLMs with different prompts in the classification of optic disc swelling on fundus photographs.

Acupuncture Safety in Diabetic Limb: A Scoping Review.

Background: Any injury to the diabetic limbs may portent disastrous consequences. However, it is not uncommon for diabetics to also seek complementary and alternative medicine for treatment, such as acupuncture. There are limited data on infective or ulcerative adverse events regarding acupuncture in diabetic limbs.

A guide to bayesian networks software for structure and parameter learning, with a focus on causal discovery tools.

A representation of the cause-effect mechanism is needed to enable artificial intelligence to represent how the world works. Bayesian Networks (BNs) have proven to be an effective and versatile tool for this task. BNs require constructing a structure of dependencies among variables and learning the parameters that govern these relationships.

CRISPR and gene editing for kidney diseases: where are we?

Genome editing technologies, particularly clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9, have transformed biomedical research by enabling precise genetic modifications. Due to its efficiency, cost-effectiveness and versatility, CRISPR has been widely applied across various stages of research, from fundamental biological investigations in preclinical models to potential therapeutic interventions. In nephrology, CRISPR represents a groundbreaking tool for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying kidney diseases and developing innovative therapeutic approaches.

Corrigendum to: Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the field of hematopoietic cell transplantation in the Asia-Pacific region: APBMT Activity Survey 2020/2021 [Blood Cell Therapy. 2024; 7(4): 129-137. doi:10.31547/bct-2024-020].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.31547/bct-2024-020.].

Relative vaccine effectiveness of high-dose vs. standard-dose influenza vaccine against clinical outcomes according to history of atrial fibrillation: a pre-specified analysis of the DANFLU-1 randomized trial.

Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) may be associated with adverse influenza-related outcomes. We assessed the relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of high-dose (HD-IIV) vs. standard-dose (SD-IIV) inactivated influenza vaccination against cardiovascular and all-cause hospitalizations and all-cause mortality according to history of AF.

What was done for youths aged 15 to 24 around the world? A systematic review of worldwide mental health interventions.

The global prevalence of mental health disorders among youths aged 15 to 24 is a significant public health concern. This systematic review aimed to explore global strategies for promoting mental well-being and addressing mental health challenges within this demographic, as defined by the World Health Organization. A comprehensive search of electronic scientific databases was conducted on November 1, 2023, yielding 43 studies with a total of 29,581 participants published between 2008 and 2023 that examined mental health interventions targeting youth.