Background: There are limited systematic data on the incidence, clinical characteristics and outcomes of congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients with hyperthyroidism. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, clinical characteristics and outcome of CHF as the initial presentation in patients with primary hyperthyroidism. Methods: The prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcome of CHF was studied in 591 consecutive patients (mean (SD) age 45 (1) years, 140 men) who presented with primary hyperthyroidism. Results: CHF was the presenting condition in 34 patients (5.8%) with hyperthyroidism. The presence of atrial fibrillation at presentation (OR 37.4, 95% CI 9.72 to 144.0, p,0.001) was an independent predictor for the occurrence of CHF. Of the 34 patients with CHF, 16 (47%) had systolic left ventricular dysfunction with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF),50%. They were predominantly male (OR 26.6, 95% CI 2.6 to 272.5, p = 0.006) and had a lower serum thyroxine level (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.99, p = 0.044) than patients with preserved left ventricular systolic function. In these patients, LVEF (55 (4)% vs 30 (2)%, p,0.001) and New York Heart Association functional class (1.2 (0.1) vs 2.5 (0.2), p,0.001) improved significantly 3 months after achieving euthyroid status. Systolic left ventricular dysfunction (mean (SD) LVEF 38 (4)%) persisted on long-term follow-up in five patients: no clinical parameter could be identified to predict the occurrence of this persistent cardiomyopathy (p.0.05). Conclusion: CHF was the initial clinical presentation in approximately 6% of patients with hyperthyroidism, and half of them had left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Symptoms of CHF subsided and LVEF improved after treatment for hyperthyroidism. Nonetheless, one-third of these patients developed persistent dilated cardiomyopathy.

Laser toning with low fluence Q-switched 1,064 nm Nd:YAG laser for skin rejuvenation and melasma can be associated with mottled depigmentation. With laser toning being frequently performed, this complication may become more commonly encountered in clinical practice. The depigmentation can appear after only a few treatment sessions, and can cause much disfigurement, especially in cases with background melasma. Further studies on laser toning are needed with the view to optimizing efficacy and minimizing side-effects.

OBJECTIVEMultifaceted care has been shown to reduce mortality and complications in type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that structured care would reduce renal complications in type 2 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSA total of 205 Chinese type 2 diabetic patients from nine public hospitals who had plasma creatinine levels of 150–350 μmol/l were randomly assigned to receive structured care (n = 104) or usual care (n = 101) for 2 years. The structured care group was managed according to a prespecified protocol with the following treatment goals: blood pressure <130/80 mmHg, A1C <7%, LDL cholesterol <2.6 mmol/l, triglyceride <2 mmol/l, and persistent treatment with renin-angiotensin blockers. The primary end point was death and/or renal end point (creatinine >500 μmol/l or dialysis).RESULTSOf these 205 patients (mean ± SD age 65 ± 7.2 years; disease duration 14 ± 7.9 years), the structured care group achieved better control than the usual care group (diastolic blood pressure 68 ± 12 vs. 71 ± 12 mmHg, respectively, P = 0.02; A1C 7.3 ± 1.3 vs. 8.0 ± 1.6%, P < 0.01). After adjustment for age, sex, and study sites, the structured care (23.1%, n = 24) and usual care (23.8%, n = 24; NS) groups had similar end points, but more patients in the structured care group attained ≥3 treatment goals (61%, n = 63, vs. 28%, n = 28; P < 0.001). Patients who attained ≥3 treatment targets (n = 91) had reduced risk of the primary end point (14 vs. 34; relative risk 0.43 [95% CI 0.21–0.86] compared with that of those who attained ≤2 targets (n = 114).CONCLUSIONSAttainment of multiple treatment targets reduced the renal end point and death in type 2 diabetes. In addition to protocol, audits and feedback are needed to improve outcomes.

Ablative fractional CO₂ laser resurfacing was overall safe and effective for skin rejuvenation and acne scars in Asians. However, in view of the high post-inflammatory rate and the statistically significant but only mild to moderate improvement after a single treatment as observed in this study, there is a need to review the current role of fractional ablative CO₂ laser treatment as compared to fractional non-ablative for skin rejuvenation and acne scar treatment in Asians.

Background and Objectives: The reaction to intense pulsed light (IPL) on Asian skin often differs from that on Caucasian skin. The study reported herein evaluated the effect on acne vulgaris of IPL alone and when IPL was combined with photodynamic therapy (PDT) using topical methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) in Asians. Study Design/Materials and Methods: Thirty Chinese subjects with phototypes IV or V and moderate acne were enrolled for a randomized, half-facial treatment study with IPL alone, IPL with PDT, or as controls. Sixteen percent MAL cream was applied to half of the face 30 minutes before treatment in the PDT group. The IPL was provided by the Ellipse Flex system (Danish Dermatologic Development, Denmark), which emitted wavelengths of 530 to 750 nm. The subjects were treated four times at 3-week intervals. Single passes of double pulses with a 10 milliseconds delay and a pulse duration of 2.5 milliseconds were used. The assessment of inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne lesions by two blinded investigators was based on standardized photographs that were taken before each treatment, and at 4 and 12 weeks after the final treatment. Results: Twenty-three patients completed the study. The mean reduction of the inflammatory lesion count was 53% in the PDT group, 22% in the IPL group, and 72% in the control group at 4 weeks, and 65% in the PDT group, 23% in the IPL group, and 88% in control group at 12 weeks. The mean clearance of non-inflammatory lesions was 52% in the PDT group, 15% in the IPL group, and 14% in the control group at 4 weeks, and 38% in the PDT group and 44% in the IPL group at 12 weeks, when and an increase of 15% was noted in the control group. Most patients experienced a reduction of inflammatory lesions that was not statistically significant on the PDT-treated side (P ¼ 0.06) or the IPLtreated side (P ¼ 0.82) at 12 weeks after treatment. Pretreatment with MAL resulted in a better clearance of inflammatory acne than IPL alone. There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention groups and the control group in the mean reduction of inflammatory lesions. Significant reductions of non-inflammatory lesions were observed in the MAL-PDT group (38%, P ¼ 0.05) and IPL groups (43%, P ¼ 0.00) 12 weeks after treatment. Twenty-five percent of the subjects in the PDT group withdrew because of intolerance to procedurerelated discomfort. Conclusions: MAL-PDT using IPL and MAL in Asians did not lead to significant improvement of moderate inflammatory acne compared with the control group. However, there was a delayed effect on non-inflammatory lesions, with significant reductions in both the PDT and IPL groups. A proportion of patients could not tolerate the discomfort that was related to PDT despite the short MAL incubation.

The novel picosecond 755-nm alexandrine laser is effective for the treatment of benign pigmentary lesions in Chinese, especially for the clearance of Nevus of Ota. Picosecond laser appears to be associated with a much lower risk of PIH for treatment of pigmentary lesions in Asians.

In Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation, the benefits of warfarin therapy for stroke prevention and ICH risk are closely dependent on the quality of anticoagulation, as reflected by TTR. Even at the top TTR quartile, warfarin was associated with a higher stroke and ICH risk than dabigatran.

Using a questionnaire survey, the prevalence and severity of acne were assessed in a randomized sample of 522 persons (aged 15-25 years) out of 5,522 telephone interviews in Hong Kong. The prevalence of self-reported acne was 91.3%. At the time of interview, 52.2% had acne. More acne scars and pigmentation were present (52.6%) than in a Western population; 26.6% were disturbed psychologically by acne and 82.9% by its physical appearance. Only 2.4% had sought the advice of a doctor for managing acne, while 41.5% had tried some form of medical treatment. Topical treatment comprised 94.7% of medications used for acne. The results show that acne and its complications are common problems. The treatment of acne scars and pigmentation is difficult and complicated by Asian skin phototypes. The findings suggest the need for refined educational programmes to ensure that adolescents know what effective treatments are available so that complications can be reduced.