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Objectives: The association between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and cerebrovascular diseases raised a concern of cerebrovascular safety of COVID-19 vaccines. We aimed to determine the risk of radiologic cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) progression with BNT162b2 and CoronaVac. Methods: In this community-based prospective cohort study, community-dwelling subjects underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and 4 months after vaccination with BNT162b2 or CoronaVac. Unvaccinated subjects received serial brain MRI over a comparable interval. The primary outcome was progression of a composite of six standard cSVD biomarkers. We compared the risk of cSVD progression between vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects and identified predictors of primary outcome within each vaccine subgroup. Results: Of the 415 subjects recruited, 190 received BNT162b2, 152 received CoronaVac, and 73 remained unvaccinated. A total of 60 (14.4%) had COVID-19 infection before follow-up MRI, and 109 (26.3%) developed the primary outcome. Neither BNT162b2 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.30-1.26, P = 0.179) nor CoronaVac (aOR 0.71, 95% CI 0.34-1.47, P = 0.349) was associated with cSVD progression. Among the BNT162b2 recipients, a higher surrogate virus neutralization test was associated (aOR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-0.99, P = 0.002) with a lower risk of cSVD progression. Conclusions: BNT162b2 and CoronaVac did not increase cSVD burden in community-dwelling citizens. The association between surrogate virus neutralization test and cSVD progression among BNT162b2 recipients requires further investigation.

Background and aimsChronic hepatitis B (CHB) disproportionately affects the Asian-American population in the USA. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) has demonstrated potent antiviral activity in clinical trials, but data in Asian-Americans from community studies are lacking.MethodsAdult Asian-American patients with CHB from private medical and community-based practices were prospectively enrolled and treated with open-label TDF 300 mg once daily in a single-arm study for 48 weeks. After Week 48, patients had the option to transition to commercially available CHB therapy. The primary efficacy endpoint was hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA ResultsOf the 90 patients enrolled, 53 (58%) were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive at baseline. At Week 48, 74 patients (82% overall; 70% HBeAg-positive and 100% HBeAg-negative) had HBV DNA ConclusionsTDF is effective and well tolerated in Asian-American CHB patients in community clinic-based settings, consistent with larger registration trials. Improvement in liver fibrosis was seen in a proportion of patients. No resistance to TDF developed through 48 weeks of treatment.Trial registrationClinicaltrial.gov identifier NCT00736190.

AIM: To evaluate the demographics, clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of patients with ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) at the Philippine General Hospital. METHODS: This was a single-center, 11-year retrospective, cross sectional case series on 18 cases of OSSN seen between January 2012 to June 2023. The patient's demographics, presenting symptoms, tumor characteristics, histopathologic diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, and duration of follow-up were reviewed. RESULTS: Out of 33 identified cases of OSSN, only 18 were eligible for inclusion in the study. Mean age was 60.78y (range 31 to 80), with male predominance (66.67%). The left eye was most commonly affected (61.11%) with most presenting with fleshy mass (83.33%). Most tumors were located nasally (66.67%) and were predominantly papilliform (44.44%) in morphology with associated hyperpigmentation (38.89%). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) was the most common histopathologic diagnosis (72.22%). The main primary treatment was surgical excision (94.44%) with or without adjunctive therapy, with only 1 patient undergoing first-line topical chemotherapy. Only 3 recurrences (16.67%) were noted with a median follow-up of 7.5mo. A statistically significant recurrence-free odds leaning towards the utilization of cryotherapy was noted. CONCLUSION: OSSN seen at the Philippine General Hospital is presented as a limbal papilliform mass, most commonly affecting elderly males. Surgical excision with adjuvant cryotherapy and/or chemotherapy is the preferred mode of treatment.