A population-based telephone survey of acute gastroenteritis (AG) was conducted in Hong Kong from August 2006 to July 2007. Study subjects were recruited through random digit-dialing with recruitments evenly distributed weekly over the 1-year period. In total, 3743 completed questionnaires were obtained. An AG episode is defined as diarrhoea >or=3 times or any vomiting in a 24-h period during the 4 weeks prior to interview, in the absence of known non-infectious causes. The prevalence of AG reporting was 7%. An overall rate of 0.91 (95% CI 0.81-1.01) episodes per person-year was observed with women having a slightly higher rate (0.94, 95% CI 0.79-1.08) than men (0.88, 95% CI 0.73-1.04). The mean duration of illness was 3.6 days (S.D.=5.52). Thirty-nine percent consulted a physician, 1.9% submitted a stool sample for testing, and 2.6% were admitted to hospital. Of the subjects aged >or=15 years, significantly more of those with AG reported eating raw oysters (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.4), buffet meals (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.5), and partially cooked beef (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7) in the previous 4 weeks compared to the subjects who did not report AG. AG subjects were also more likely to have had hot pot, salad, partially cooked or raw egg or fish, sushi, sashimi, and 'snacks bought at roadside' in the previous 4 weeks. This first population-based study on the disease burden of AG in Asia showed that the prevalence of AG in Hong Kong is comparable to that experienced in the West. The study also revealed some 'risky' eating practices that are more prevalent in those affected with AG.

Funding information Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and NYU Langone HealthCDC-recommended diabetes prevention programs aim to detect and reverse disease in the one-third of Americans with prediabetes, but high-compliance serial assessment of percent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) remains a barrier to delivering this vision at population scale. Venous phlebotomy is challenging for busy or resource-constrained patients.In this paper, we introduce the first-ever quantitative diagnostic test based on menstrual fluid, which allows HbA1c quantification from self-collected mailed tampons. We demonstrate that menstrual HbA1c is comparable to venous HbA1c in the diagnosis of prediabetes with the standard threshold of 5.7. We also demonstrate accuracy, precision, stability, and interference testing. Finally, surveying subjects reveals strong preference for menstrual HbA1c in quarterly testing.These findings suggest that menstrual HbA1c can be a key tool in addressing prediabetes at population scale. K E Y W O R D Swomen's health, Diabetes Prevention Program, menstrual blood * Equal contribution. 1 2 SRINIVASAN ET AL.

Objectives: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a severe complication of allogenic stem cell transplantation. Preliminary data suggest the potential role of ruxolitinib as a new treatment option in patients with corticosteroid-refractory GVHD. The aim of the present study was to explore the effectiveness and safety of ruxolitinib as a salvage therapy in this population. MethOds: A single-center, retrospective, observational study was carried out. Inclusion criteria: all patients with corticosteroidrefractory GVHD treated with ruxolitinib until June 2016. Collected variables: age, sex, underlying disease, GVHD location, type (acute or chronic) and grade, previous therapies, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status at baseline, daily dose of ruxolitinib, treatment response and grade ≥ 3 adverse events (AE). Data sources: pharmacy information system and clinical charts review. Results: 13 patients met the inclusion criteria. 46% were male, with a median age of 46 years (range:32-51). The majority of patients (77%) had an ECOG performance status = 1. The most frequent underlying condition was myeloid acute leukemia. Most of the patients (77%) had more than one part of the body affected, being the most affected the cutaneous and gastrointestinal locations. GVHD was chronic in 62% of patients, and 54% had grade ≥ 3 GVHD. The median number of previous GVHD-therapies was 3 (range: 3-5). The most frequency therapies were corticosteroids, inmmunosuppression therapies with tacrolimus and rapamycin, and photopheresis. The median daily dose of ruxolitib was 20 (range: 5-25) mg. The overall response rate was 77% (complete response: 23%, partial response: 54%). Esophageal affectation in one patient was the only AE ≥ 3 recorded. cOnclusiOns: Ruxolitinib appears to be an effective and safe treatment option for patients with GVHD who are refractory to corticosteroids and other available therapies. Randomized control trials are needed to confirm these promising results.