OBJECTIVENationwide studies on secular trends of diabetes complications are not available in Asia. We examined changes in risk factor control and incidence of complications from diabetes and death in a large longitudinal cohort of Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes in Hong Kong. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSBetween 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2012, 338,908 Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes underwent metabolic and complication assessment in 16 diabetes centers operated by Hong Kong Hospital Authority that provided care to a large majority of diagnosed patients. Patients were followed for incident acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and death until 31 December 2012. Risk factor levels between enrollment periods were compared. Incidence of clinical events, stratified by diabetes duration, was examined over time. RESULTSIncidence of complications from diabetes and death declined over the observation period in patients at varying disease duration. Among the high-risk group with diabetes for at least 15 years, crude incidence of AMI decreased from 8.7 to 5.8, stroke from 13.5 to 10.1, ESRD from 25.8 to 22.5, and death from 29.0 to 26.6 per 1,000 person-year between the periods 2000 to 2002 and 2010 to 2012. Improvements in levels of metabolic risk factors were detected. Proportion of patients achieving HbA 1c <7.0% (53 mmol/mol) was increased from 32.9 to 50.0%, blood pressure £130/80 mmHg from 24.7 to 30.7%, and LDL cholesterol <2.6 mmol/L from 25.8 to 38.1%. CONCLUSIONSFrom this territory-wide Hong Kong Diabetes Database, we observed decreases in incidence of cardiovascular-renal complications and death and corresponding improvements in risk factor control over a 13-year period.Diabetes is an emerging pandemic of modern societies driven by obesity, aging population, and improved survival in those affected. A quarter of the world's population with diabetes comes from China, where industrialization and growing economy have contributed to obesogenic lifestyle and unprecedented rise in metabolic diseases (1,2).

The thoracoscopic repair of EA/TEF represents a natural evolution in the operative correction of this complicated congenital anomaly and can be safely performed by experienced endoscopic surgeons. The results presented are comparable to previous reports of babies undergoing repair through a thoracotomy. Based on the associated musculoskeletal problems following thoracotomy, there will likely be long-term benefits for babies with this anomaly undergoing the thoracoscopic repair.

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Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) often complicates allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) and affects mainly the gut, liver, lung and skin. The microscopic morphological features of late-phase sclerodermatous chronic GVHD in the skin, namely epidermal atrophy, lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, dense dermal fibrosis and adnexal atrophy, are histologically indistinguishable from those in sporadic systemic sclerosis, morphoea and the related condition of lichen sclerosus. Mucosal orifices including those of the genitourinary system may be severely affected. We present three SCT recipients with chronic GVHD and severe posthitis leading to phimosis requiring surgery. The excised prepuces showed features of lichen sclerosus including epidermal atrophy and a subepidermal zone of eosinophilic, homogeneous and hyalinized collagen above a band-like lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. These cases add further evidence to support the notion that penile lichen sclerosus should be included within the expanding sclerodermoid spectrum of late-stage cutaneous chronic GVHD.

20 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus undergoing renal biopsies had their tubular function assessed by maximal concentrating ability, maximal urinary acidification and fractional urinary excretion of β₂-microglobulin. 80% of patients showed disturbances in one or more of the parameters tested with fractional β₂-microglobulin excretion being most frequently abnormal. No correlation was found between the histological changes and functional disturbances.