News & Updates

A retrospective cohort study of twin pregnancies in Hong Kong has identified general anaesthesia (GA) and use of oxytocin as significant risk factors for all postpartum haemorrhage (PPH; ≥500 mL). The study also shows that GA, in vitro fertilization (IVF), antepartum haemorrhage, placental abruption, and placenta praevia (PP) are significantly associated with major PPH (>1,000 mL), while IVF, PP, and obesity are significant risk factors for severe PPH (>1,500 mL).

Treatment with pitavastatin is associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular (CV) events in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as shown in the final analysis of the double-blind, placebo-controlled REPRIEVE trial presented at IAS 2023.

Treatment with nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir appears to reduce the incidence of hospitalization in a highly vaccinated population of high-risk COVID-19 patients in Malaysia, as shown in a study.

Misoprostol, a prostaglandin E1 analogue used to prevent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal disorders, appears effective in preventing kidney injury associated with chronic NSAID use, but the quality of evidence is very low, results of a recent study have shown.

At an honorary degree conferment ceremony held at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an interview with MIMS Doctor, Professor Katalin Karikó, a pioneer of mRNA technology, suggested that recent advances in mRNA research can provide a versatile tool for combating various diseases.

Despite the striking mortality burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), no active vaccines are currently available to prevent RSV in children, says Dr Sherlock Lai, medical director, Moderna Singapore, at SiPPAC 2023.

Uptake of COVID-19 vaccine among children 12–17 years of age is high (~80 percent) in Singapore, but for the 5–11-year age group, it is less than 30 percent. This could have been driven in part by vaccine hesitancy among parents. [Front Pediatr 2022;10:994675]