Publications

a novel dirofilaria species causing human and canine infections in hong kong.	dirofilariasis is globally the commonest manifestation of zoonotic filariasis. we report the detection of a novel canine species causing human and canine dirofilariasis in hong kong. three human cases occurring over 10 months were identified, one presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy, one with an abdominal subcutaneous mass, and one with a subconjunctival nodule. transected worms recovered from the resected abdominal subcutaneous mass were morphologically compatible with dirofilaria. the cox1 ...	2012	22915604
Assessment of knowledge and stigmatizing attitudes related to human papillomavirus among Hong Kong Chinese healthcare providers.	To assess knowledge and stigmatizing attitudes related to human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV testing among Chinese healthcare providers in Hong Kong.	2012	22036061
hydroxylated and methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in blood plasma of humans in hong kong.	hydroxylated (oh-) and methoxylated (meo-) polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbde) are suspected endocrine disruptors. little is known about the accumulation or sources of these chemicals in tissues of humans, particularly those residing in hong kong, which is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. seven meo-bdes, fifteen oh-bdes and three bromophenols (brps) were analyzed in blood plasma of 116 humans that had been collected by the hong kong red cross. total concentrations of meo- ...	2012	22771521
families and family therapy in hong kong.	family therapy views humans not as separate entities, but as embedded in a network of relationships, highlighting the reciprocal influences of one's behaviours on one another. this article gives an overview of family demographics and the implementation of family therapy in hong kong. we start with a review of the family demographics in hong kong and brief notes on families in mainland china. demographics show that the landscape has changed markedly in the past decade, with more cross-border marr ...	2012	22515459
social network characteristics and salivary cortisol in healthy older people.	psychobiological research on aging in humans has been confounded by individual differences that have not been adequately characterized in the literature. this paper is an attempt to shed light on this issue by examining the impact of social network characteristics predictive of successful aging on salivary cortisol among 78 older chinese people in hong kong. eight salivary cortisol samples were collected each day for two consecutive days from immediately after awakening to 12 hours later. two co ...	2012	22489206
characterization of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus isolates from pig carcasses in hong kong.	this study describes the isolation and characterization of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) from slaughtered pigs sampled from local markets in hong kong. the nares of 400 slaughtered pigs were cultured and mrsa isolates characterized for the presence of antibiotic-resistance determinants, toxins and sccmec and spa types using pcr. clonality was investigated using pfge and mlst. the prevalence of mrsa colonization of slaughter pigs was 39.3%, the majority (92%) harbouring sccme ...	2012	23057086
aerosol transmission is an important mode of influenza a virus spread.	influenza a viruses are believed to spread between humans through contact, large respiratory droplets and small particle droplet nuclei (aerosols), but the relative importance of each of these modes of transmission is unclear. volunteer studies suggest that infections via aerosol transmission may have a higher risk of febrile illness. here we apply a mathematical model to data from randomized controlled trials of hand hygiene and surgical face masks in hong kong and bangkok households. in these ...	2013	23736803
plasma mercury levels in hong kong residents: in relation to fish consumption.	mercury exposure is of particular concern since mercury is a neurotoxin and the developing fetus is most sensitive to its adverse effect. human blood is routinely used as an indicator for the evaluation of human exposure to hg. to investigate hg species in human plasma for hong kong residents and the relationship between fish consumption and hg species in plasma, 151 plasma samples were analyzed for hg species. the mean values of total hg (thg) and methyl-mercury (mehg) concentration in plasma w ...	2013	23680090
cancer risk assessments of hong kong soils contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.	the aim of this study was to evaluate soils from 12 different land use types on human cancer risks, with the main focus being on human cancer risks related to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs). fifty-five locations were selected to represent 12 different types of land use (electronic waste dismantling workshop (ew (dw)); open burning site (obs); car dismantling workshop (cdw) etc.). the total concentrations of 16 pahs in terms of total burden and their bioaccessibility were analysed using ...	2013	23465409
one health: the hong kong experience with avian influenza.	the occurrence of avian influenza a(h5n1) in hong kong in 1997 led to the development of a "one-health" approach to deal with emerging infectious diseases that has been applied to other emergent diseases such as sars and the pandemic h1n1 2009. evaluation of poultry marketing and production systems and investigations at the animal-human interface, led to defining the routes of human exposure to avian influenza and factors that allowed virus to multiply and persist. active and systematic surveill ...	2013	22903569
emergence of a c-terminal seven-amino-acid elongation of ns1 in around 1950 conferred a minor growth advantage to former seasonal influenza a viruses.	influenza a viruses circulating in humans from ∼1950 to ∼1987 featured a nonstructural (ns1) protein with a c-terminal extension of seven amino acids. the biological significance of this ns1 elongation remained elusive. we observed that replication kinetics of the wild-type virus a/hong kong/01/68 (h3n2) and a mutant encoding a truncated ns1 were indistinguishable in most experimental systems. however, wild-type virus outcompeted the mutant during mixed infections, suggesting that the ns1 extens ...	2013	23926347
the contribution of social behaviour to the transmission of influenza a in a human population.	variability in the risk of transmission for respiratory pathogens can result from several factors, including the intrinsic properties of the pathogen, the immune state of the host and the host's behaviour. it has been proposed that self-reported social mixing patterns can explain the behavioural component of this variability, with simulated intervention studies based on these data used routinely to inform public health policy. however, in the absence of robust studies with biological endpoints f ...	2014	24968312
oral bioaccessibility of toxic metals in contaminated oysters and relationships with metal internal sequestration.	the hong kong oysters crassostrea hongkongensis are widely farmed in the estuarine waters of southern china, but they accumulate cu and zn to alarmingly high concentrations in the soft tissues. health risks of seafood consumption are related to contaminants such as toxic metals which are bioaccessible to humans. in the present study, we investigated the oral bioaccessibility of five toxic metals (ag, pb, cd, cu and zn) in contaminated oysters collected from different locations of a large estuary ...	2014	25265028
a novel missense mutation in ccdc88c activates the jnk pathway and causes a dominant form of spinocerebellar ataxia.	spinocerebellar ataxias (scas) are a group of clinically and genetically diverse and autosomal-dominant disorders characterised by neurological deficits in the cerebellum. at present, there is no cure for scas. of the different distinct subtypes of autosomal-dominant scas identified to date, causative genes for only a fraction of them are currently known. in this study, we investigated the cause of an autosomal-dominant sca phenotype in a family that exhibits cerebellar ataxia and pontocerebella ...	2014	25062847
organotin contamination in seafood and its implication for human health risk in hong kong.	organotins (ots) have caused widespread adverse effects on marine organisms, while they can also induce health problems to humans via consumption of contaminated seafood. this study aimed to quantify the tissue concentrations of ots in 11 seafood species in hong kong, and assess the human health risk for consuming these species. the tongue sole paraplagusia blochii had the highest concentration of total ots. triphenyltin (tpt) accounted for 56-97% of total ots. the highest hazard quotient (hq) f ...	2014	24456855
urinary bromophenol glucuronide and sulfate conjugates: potential human exposure molecular markers for polybrominated diphenyl ethers.	one possible source of urinary bromophenol (bp) glucuronide and sulfate conjugates in mammalian animal models and humans is polybromodiphenyl ethers (pbdes), a group of additive flame-retardants found ubiquitously in the environment. in order to study the correlation between levels of pbdes in human blood plasma and those of the corresponding bp-conjugates in human urine, concentrations of 17 bde congeners, 22 oh-bde and 13 meo-bde metabolites, and 3 bps in plasma collected from 100 voluntary do ...	2015	25817024
strategic measures for the control of surging antimicrobial resistance in hong kong and mainland of china.	antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are either highly prevalent or increasing rapidly in hong kong and china. treatment options for these bacteria are generally limited, less effective and more expensive. the emergence and dynamics of antimicrobial resistance genes in bacteria circulating between animals, the environment and humans are not entirely known. nonetheless, selective pressure by antibiotics on the microbiomes of animal and human, and their associated environments (especially farms and he ...	2015	26038766
population behavior patterns in response to the risk of influenza a(h7n9) in hong kong, december 2013-february 2014.	a novel avian influenza a(h7n9) virus, first identified in mainland china in february and march 2013, caused an outbreak in humans in april and may, 2013. closure of live poultry markets in some affected cities dramatically reduced numbers of cases during summer of 2013, but the epidemic resurged during the winter 2013-14, increasing reported cases to 393 in mainland china as of 30 march 2014.	2015	25622816
clonal diversity of ctx-m-producing, multidrug-resistant escherichia coli from rodents.	this territory-wide study investigated the occurrence of faecal carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (esbl)-producing escherichia coli among wild rodents from the 18 districts in hong kong. individual rectal swabs were obtained from the trapped animals and cultured in plain and selective media. a total of 965 wild rodents [148 chestnut spiny rats (niviventer fulvescens), 326 indo-chinese forest rats (rattus andamanensis), 452 brown rats (rattus norvegicus) and 39 black rats (rattus rattus)] ...	2015	25627207
the dynamic relationship between clinical symptomatology and viral shedding in naturally acquired seasonal and pandemic influenza virus infections.	although the pattern of viral shedding over time has been documented in volunteer challenge studies, understanding of the relationship between clinical symptomatology and viral shedding in naturally acquired influenza infections in humans remains limited.	2016	26518469
isolation of h5n6, h7n9 and h9n2 avian influenza a viruses from air sampled at live poultry markets in china, 2014 and 2015.	zoonotic infections by avian influenza viruses occur at the human-poultry interface, but the modes of transmission have not been fully investigated. we assessed the potential for airborne and fomite transmission at live poultry markets in guangzhou city and in hong kong special administrative region (sar), china, during 2014 and 2015. viral genome and infectious avian influenza a viruses of h5n6, h7n9, and h9n2 subtypes were detected predominantly from particles larger or equal to 1 μm in diamet ...	2016	27608369
serologic assays for the detection and strain identification of pteropine orthoreovirus.	pteropine orthoreovirus (prv), potentially of bat origin, is reported to be a causative agent of emerging respiratory tract infections among humans in southeast asia. we evaluated the efficacy of serologic assays using the major outer capsid and cell attachment proteins (cap) of prv strains in the screening, confirmation and identification of three groups of human prv infections; indonesian/japanese, indonesian/hong kong and malaysian strains. the different serologic assays were tested using rab ...	2016	27165561
high diversity of picornaviruses in rats from different continents revealed by deep sequencing.	outbreaks of zoonotic diseases in humans and livestock are not uncommon, and an important component in containment of such emerging viral diseases is rapid and reliable diagnostics. such methods are often pcr-based and hence require the availability of sequence data from the pathogen. rattus norvegicus (r. norvegicus) is a known reservoir for important zoonotic pathogens. transmission may be direct via contact with the animal, for example, through exposure to its faecal matter, or indirectly med ...	2016	27530749
indoor air bacterial communities in hong kong households assemble independently of occupant skin microbiomes.	more than in any other habitat, humans exert a large influence on microbial communities indoors. frequent contact between occupant skin and indoor surfaces causes indoor surface microbial communities to be largely assembled from and thus closely resemble occupant skin microbiomes. while indoor air and dust are known to also contain many human-associated taxa, household air communities have not yet been directly compared with occupant skin microbiomes. we sampled microorganisms from air, surfaces ...	2016	25923292
skin fungal community and its correlation with bacterial community of urban chinese individuals.	high-throughput sequencing has led to increased insights into the human skin microbiome. currently, the majority of skin microbiome investigations are limited to characterizing prokaryotic communities, and our understanding of the skin fungal community (mycobiome) is limited, more so for cohorts outside of the western hemisphere. here, the skin mycobiome across healthy chinese individuals in hong kong are characterized.	2016	27558504
source apportionment and health effect of nox over the pearl river delta region in southern china.	as one of the most notorious atmospheric pollutants, nox not only promotes the formation of ozone but also has adverse health effects on humans. it is therefore of great importance to study the sources of nox and its effects on human health. the comprehensive air quality model (camx) modeling system and ozone source apportionment technology (osat) were used to study the contribution of nox from different emission sources over southern china. the results indicate that heavy duty diesel vehicles ( ...	2016	26845361
relative incidence and individual-level severity of seasonal influenza a h3n2 compared with 2009 pandemic h1n1.	two subtypes of influenza a currently circulate in humans: seasonal h3n2 (sh3n2, emerged in 1968) and pandemic h1n1 (ph1n1, emerged in 2009). while the epidemiological characteristics of the initial wave of ph1n1 have been studied in detail, less is known about its infection dynamics during subsequent waves or its severity relative to sh3n2. even prior to 2009, few data was available to estimate the risk of severe outcomes following infection with one circulating influenza strain relative to ano ...	2017	28494805
glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of bisphenol a: chemical synthesis and correlation between their urinary levels and plasma bisphenol a content in voluntary human donors.	bisphenol a (bpa) glucuronide and sulfate conjugates are major products of phase ii metabolism of bpa in humans. in the past, their determination in body fluids usually involves tedious enzymatic hydrolysis and multiresidual analysis. the recent availability of authentic standards of these conjugates enables our better understand of the human metabolism of bpa and the distribution of their metabolites in body fluids. in this work, we report the chemical synthesis and purification of bpa mono- an ...	2017	28770280
high prevalence of four novel astrovirus genotype species identified from rodents in china.	astroviruses cause gastrointestinal and neurological infections in humans and animals. since astrovirus is genetically diverse and different astrovirus genotypes can be found in the same animal species, astrovirus is a potential zoonotic threat to humans. in this study, we screened for astroviruses in rodents from hong kong, hunan and guangxi. astrovirus was detected in 11.9 % (67/562) of rectal swab specimens. phylogenetic analysis of the orf1b region, which encodes the rdrp, showed that there ...	2017	28537544
the association of air pollution with pubertal development: evidence from hong kong's "children of 1997" birth cohort.	many pollutants are endocrine disruptors with impacts on reproduction and health in animals, but evidence in humans, of which sex-specific effects on pubertal development may be an indicator, is less clear. we examined the association of air pollution in utero and during early life with pubertal development in hong kong, china, an area with a high level of air pollution compared with other similarly developed cities. we assessed sex-specific associations of particulate matter less than or equal ...	2017	28444106
comparison of green pit viper and agkistrodon halys antivenom in inhibition of coagulopathy due to trimeresurus albolabris venom: an in-vitro study using human plasma.	there are two antivenoms that may be administered in hong kong following a bite by trimeresurus albolabris: the green pit viper antivenom from the thai red cross society in thailand and the agkistrodon halys antivenom from the shanghai institute of biological products in china. both are recommended by the central coordinating committee of accident and emergency services of the hospital authority for treating patients with a bite by trimeresurus albolabris. the choice of which antivenom to use is ...	2017	27909267
2015 epidemic of severe streptococcus agalactiae sequence type 283 infections in singapore associated with the consumption of raw freshwater fish: a detailed analysis of clinical, epidemiological, and bacterial sequencing data.	streptococcus agalactiae (group b streptococcus [gbs]) has not been described as a foodborne pathogen. however, in 2015, a large outbreak of severe invasive sequence type (st) 283 gbs infections in adults epidemiologically linked to the consumption of raw freshwater fish occurred in singapore. we attempted to determine the scale of the outbreak, define the clinical spectrum of disease, and link the outbreak to contaminated fish.	2017	28475781
molecular epidemiology and strain comparison between hepatitis e virus in human sera and pig livers during 2014-2016 in hong kong.	hepatitis e virus (hev) causes substantial morbidity and mortality in developing countries and is considered an emerging food-borne pathogen in previously non-endemic developed countries. to investigate genetic association between human hev infection and hev-contaminated high-risk food in hong kong, we compared local virus strains obtained from hepatitis e patient sera with those surveyed from high-risk food items during 2014-2016. twenty-four cases of laboratory-confirmed human hev infections w ...	2017	28202801
assessment of epidemiological evidence that exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation causes cataract.	in this paper an assessment is made of the evidence that exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation is causally associated with cataract. the evidence is reviewed separately for cortical, nuclear and posterior subcapsular cataract. the assessment examines the consistency and magnitude of an association, the dose-response relationship, supporting ecological data, and data from animal studies. based on the assessment, it is concluded that there is sufficient experimental evidence that exposure to art ...	2017	7635000