Publications

update: isolation of avian influenza a(h5n1) viruses from human beings--hong kong, 1997-1998.		1998	9581152
[influenza pandemic was probably avoided with effort and luck--thus far].		1998	11524743
[h 5 n1 avian influenza in hong kong].		1998	10078053
lack of allelic association of dopamine d4 receptor gene polymorphisms with parkinson's disease in a chinese population.	parkinson's disease (pd) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a multitude of environmental, neurochemical, and genetic factors. the gene for human dopamine d4 receptor (drd4) has been considered as a plausible candidate for the pathogenesis of pd. different dopamine d4 receptor allelic forms have variable affinity toward certain neuroleptics such as clozapine, suggesting a role for dopamine d4 receptors in neurologic disorders. to test the hypothesis that the drd4 polymorphism is associated ...	1999	10091613
radon action level for high-rise buildings.	radon and its progeny are the major contributors to the natural radiation dose received by human beings. many countries and radiological authorities have recommended radon action levels to limit the indoor radon concentrations and, hence, the annual doses to the general public. since the sources of indoor radon and the methods for reducing its concentration are different for different types of buildings, social and economic factors have to be considered when setting the action level. but so far ...	1999	10201568
maternal serum screening for down syndrome in a teaching hospital in hong kong.	to study prospectively the use of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (afp) and total beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (hcg) concentrations for screening of down syndrome in hong kong.	1999	11601289
incidence of highly genetically diversified vibrio parahaemolyticus in seafood imported from asian countries.	vibrio parahaemolyticus is an important pathogen of humans and aquacultured animals, especially in asian countries. in this study, we examined 686 samples of seafood imported from hong kong, indonesia, thailand and vietnam for v. parahaemolyticus. v. parahaemolyticus was recovered from 315 (45.9%) samples. the incidence of v. parahaemolyticus in products from hong kong and thailand was markedly higher than the incidence in products from indonesia and vietnam. the incidence rates in shrimp, crab, ...	1999	10733249
a profile of hong kong population analysed by district board district, 1998.	the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population of hong kong are analyzed at the district board level as at mid-1998 using official data. data are included on population size, sex and age distribution, educational status, and labor force participation.	1999	12349035
the next influenza pandemic: lessons from hong kong, 1997.	the 1997 hong kong outbreak of an avian influenzalike virus, with 18 proven human cases, many severe or fatal, highlighted the challenges of novel influenza viruses. lessons from this episode can improve international and national planning for influenza pandemics in seven areas: expanded international commitment to first responses to pandemic threats; surveillance for influenza in key densely populated areas with large live-animal markets; new, economical diagnostic tests not based on eggs; cont ...	1999	10221870
avian strain of influenza a virus isolated from humans in hong kong.		1999	10333647
management of niddm by family doctors in hong kong: a questionnaire survey.	the management approach to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus among family doctors in hong kong was studied using two case histories. in 1996, all 804 fellows, members and associate members of the hong kong college of family physicians were sent a letter and a questionnaire. of the 512 who responded, 405 were male and 95 were female (12 were discarded) with ages ranging from 24 to 77 years (median 40). for the 48-year-old obese man who showed improvements in blood glucose and symptoms after ...	1999	10344040
health services reform and human resource management in hong kong public hospitals.	this article discusses the empirical study of reform in the human resource management function in the hong kong hospital authority. it describes the prior management of the hospitals based on the civil service administration model before looking at management reform in general. from this research, the creative tensions between the centrifugal and centripetal forces in the pursuit of 'effectiveness', 'efficiency' and 'economy' are explored in terms of decentralization. a survey of line managers, ...	1999	10351677
human influenza: viral mutations and altered tropisms.	influenza is a virus that is capable of causing a pandemic of the human race. influenza has the ability to infect humans by mutating and altering its pathogenic characteristics. efforts must be made worldwide to educate people about the possibilities of a potential outbreak. awareness of optimal conditions which could lead to viral mutation and human to human transmission of a neogenetic strain of influenza appears to be a key deterrent against future cases.	1999	10387491
case-control study of risk factors for avian influenza a (h5n1) disease, hong kong, 1997.	in may 1997, a 3-year-old boy in hong kong died of a respiratory illness related to influenza a (h5n1) virus infection, the first known human case of disease from this virus. an additional 17 cases followed in november and december. a case-control study of 15 of these patients hospitalized for influenza a (h5n1) disease was conducted using controls matched by age, sex, and neighborhood to determine risk factors for disease. exposure to live poultry (by visiting either a retail poultry stall or a ...	1999	10395870
frequent microsatellite instability and mismatch repair gene mutations in young chinese patients with colorectal cancer.	the incidence of colorectal cancer in persons under 46 years of age is substantially higher in hong kong than in scotland and many other countries. consequently, we examined whether there is a hereditary predisposition for colorectal cancer in this southern chinese population.	1999	10413423
antigenic and genetic analyses of h5 influenza viruses isolated from ducks in asia.	the hemagglutinin (ha) of six h5 influenza virus strains isolated from ducks in japan and china in 1976 to 1996 were analyzed antigenically and genetically. antigenic analysis using a panel of monoclonal antibodies revealed that the ha of h5 influenza viruses isolated from ducks are antigenically closely related to each other. phylogenetic analysis indicates that the isolates from ducks in hokkaido were derived from an ancestor common with the highly pathogenic isolates from chickens and humans ...	1999	10414025
low yield of chest radiography in screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis in hiv-infected patients in hong kong.	this study assessed the usefulness of routine chest radiography for detecting active pulmonary tuberculosis in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) without suggestive symptoms in hong kong. tuberculosis is common in this locality and tuberculosis/hiv co-infection has been a frequent and significant problem. records of patients attending the largest hiv clinic were reviewed. three hundred and eleven routine chest radiographs were performed among 191 hiv-infected patients with ...	1999	10414885
molecular characterization of h9n2 influenza viruses: were they the donors of the "internal" genes of h5n1 viruses in hong kong?	the origin of the h5n1 influenza viruses that killed six of eighteen infected humans in 1997 and were highly pathogenic in chickens has not been resolved. these h5n1 viruses transmitted directly to humans from infected poultry. in the poultry markets in hong kong, both h5n1 and h9n2 influenza viruses were cocirculating, raising the possibility of genetic reassortment. here we analyze the antigenic and genetic features of h9n2 influenza viruses with different epidemiological backgrounds. the resu ...	1999	10430948
the clinicopathological significance of p21 and p53 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: an analysis of 153 patients.	the p21 gene is thought to play a central role in tumor suppression. the aim of this study was to examine the clinicopathological role of p21 and p53 in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.	1999	10445528
international variation in the incidence of hip fractures: cross-national project on osteoporosis for the world health organization program for research on aging.	a cross-national study of hip fracture incidence was carried out in five geographic areas--beijing, china; budapest, hungary; hong kong; porto alegre, brazil; and reykjavik, iceland--during the years 1990-1992. cases of hip fracture among women and men of age 20 years and older were identified using hospital discharge data in conjunction with medical records, operating room logs, and radiology logs. estimated incidence rates varied widely, with beijing reporting the lowest rates (age-adjusted ra ...	1999	10450414
poultry and the influenza h5n1 outbreak in hong kong, 1997: abridged chronology and virus isolation.		1999	10471177
plasma insulin, growth hormone, cortisol, and central obesity among young chinese type 2 diabetic patients.	to examine the relationships between central obesity, insulin resistance index, plasma insulin, growth hormone (gh), and cortisol concentrations in 90 young chinese type 2 diabetic patients (aged 33+/-5 years) and 104 age- and sex-matched control subjects (aged 32+/-9 years).	1999	10480508
genetic characterization of the pathogenic influenza a/goose/guangdong/1/96 (h5n1) virus: similarity of its hemagglutinin gene to those of h5n1 viruses from the 1997 outbreaks in hong kong.	analysis of the sequences of all eight rna segments of the influenza a/g oose/guangdong/1/96 (h5n1) virus, isolated from a sick goose during an outbreak in guangdong province, china, in 1996, revealed that the hemagglutinin (ha) gene of the virus was genetically similar to those of the h5n1 viruses isolated in hong kong in 1997. however, the remaining genes showed greater similarity to other avian influenza viruses. notably, the neuraminidase gene did no have the 19-amino-acid deletion in the st ...	1999	10484749
human infection with influenza h9n2.	we report the clinical features of two cases of human infection with influenza a virus subtype h9n2 in hong kong, and show that serum samples from blood donors in hong kong had neutralising antibody suggestive of prior infection with influenza h9n2.	1999	10489954
pancreatic solid-cystic-papillary tumor: clinicopathologic features in eight patients from hong kong and review of the literature.	solid-cystic-papillary tumors (scpts) of the pancreas are rare. the clinicopathologic features and pathogenesis of these tumors have attracted a number of investigations, but the results remain unclear. we investigated the clinicopathologic data, immunohistochemical expression of the pan-endocrine markers, hormones, steroid receptors, and p53 overexpression in pancreatic scpts from eight chinese patients (seven women, one man) collected over a 24-year period. they accounted for 2.5% of the prima ...	1999	10512945
frequencies of defective cyp2c19 alleles in a hong kong chinese population: detection of the rare allele cyp2c19*4.		1999	10585366
detection of human herpesvirus 8 in cervical cells of chinese women with abnormal papanicolaou smears.		1999	10585826
microcomputer-based workforce scheduling for hospital porters.	this paper focuses on labour scheduling for hospital porters who are the major workforce providing routine cleansing of wards, transportation and messenger services. generating an equitable monthly roster for porters while meeting the daily minimum demand is a tedious task scheduled manually by a supervisor. in considering a variety of constraints and goals, a manual schedule was usually produced in seven to ten days. to be in line with the strategic goal of scientific management of an acute car ...	1999	10787496
the surface glycoproteins of h5 influenza viruses isolated from humans, chickens, and wild aquatic birds have distinguishable properties.	in 1997, 18 confirmed cases of human influenza arising from multiple independent transmissions of h5n1 viruses from infected chickens were reported from hong kong. to identify possible phenotypic changes in the hemagglutinin (ha) and neuraminidase (na) of the h5 viruses during interspecies transfer, we compared the receptor-binding properties and na activities of the human and chicken h5n1 isolates from hong kong and of h5n3 and h5n1 viruses from wild aquatic birds. all h5n1 viruses, including t ...	1999	9882316
characterization of the surface proteins of influenza a (h5n1) viruses isolated from humans in 1997-1998.	influenza a (h5n1) viruses infected humans in hong kong between may and december, 1997. sixteen viruses, including 6 from fatal cases, were isolated during this outbreak. molecular analysis of the surface proteins genes encoding the hemagglutinin (ha) and neuraminidase (na) of these h5n1 isolates, of a subtype not previously known to infect humans, are presented. the 16 human h5 ha sequences contain multiple basic amino acids adjacent to the cleavage site, a motif associated with highly pathogen ...	1999	9927579
l-myc genotypes in hong kong chinese colorectal carcinoma patients.	l-myc genotypes have been correlated with prognosis in different human tumors. its role in colorectal carcinoma (crc) is still unclear. this study aimed to assess the l-myc genotypes in 99 hong kong chinese crc patients by pcr-rflp techniques. the results obtained were correlated with clinical, histological and pathological parameters and genetic alterations. the observed frequency of l-myc genotypes (ll:ls:ss) was 27:46:26. the ratio of s to l alleles was 0.51:0.49. distribution of l-myc genoty ...	1999	10023018
microsatellite instability, epstein-barr virus, mutation of type ii transforming growth factor beta receptor and bax in gastric carcinomas in hong kong chinese.	microsatellite instability (mi), the phenotypic manifestation of mismatch repair failure, is found in a proportion of gastric carcinomas. little is known of the links between mi and epstein-barr virus (ebv) status and clinicopathological elements. examination of genes mutated through the mi mechanism could also be expected to reveal important information on the carcinogenic pathway. seventy-nine gastric carcinomas (61 ebv negative, 18 ebv positive) from local hong kong chinese population, an int ...	1999	10027334
biological heterogeneity, including systemic replication in mice, of h5n1 influenza a virus isolates from humans in hong kong.	an h5n1 avian influenza a virus was transmitted to humans in hong kong in 1997. although the virus causes systemic infection and is highly lethal in chickens because of the susceptibility of the hemagglutinin to furin and pc6 proteases, it is not known whether it also causes systemic infection in humans. the clinical outcomes of infection in hong kong residents ranged widely, from mild respiratory disease to multiple organ failure leading to death. therefore, to understand the pathogenesis of in ...	1999	10074171
rapid evolution of h5n1 influenza viruses in chickens in hong kong.	the h5n1 avian influenza virus that killed 6 of 18 persons infected in hong kong in 1997 was transmitted directly from poultry to humans. viral isolates from this outbreak may provide molecular clues to zoonotic transfer. here we demonstrate that the h5n1 viruses circulating in poultry comprised two distinguishable phylogenetic lineages in all genes that were in very rapid evolution. when introduced into new hosts, influenza viruses usually undergo rapid alteration of their surface glycoproteins ...	1999	10074191
detection of antibody to avian influenza a (h5n1) virus in human serum by using a combination of serologic assays.	from may to december 1997, 18 cases of mild to severe respiratory illness caused by avian influenza a (h5n1) viruses were identified in hong kong. the emergence of an avian virus in the human population prompted an epidemiological investigation to determine the extent of human-to-human transmission of the virus and risk factors associated with infection. the hemagglutination inhibition (hi) assay, the standard method for serologic detection of influenza virus infection in humans, has been shown ...	1999	10074505
interspecies transmission of influenza viruses: h5n1 virus and a hong kong sar perspective.	this account takes stock of events and involvements, particularly on the avian side of the influenza h5n1 'bird flu' incident in hong kong sar in 1997. it highlights the role of the chicken in the many live poultry markets as the source of the virus for humans. the slaughter of chicken and other poultry across the sar seemingly averted an influenza pandemic. this perspective from hong kong sar marks the coming-of-age of acceptance of the role of avian hosts as a source of pandemic human influenz ...	2000	10799786
post-mortem investigations on stranded dolphins and porpoises from hong kong waters.	stranded cetaceans reported from the territorial waters of hong kong during the period may 1993 to march 1998 were examined to establish factors that may have contributed to their death. during the current study, 28 indo-pacific hump-backed dolphins (sousa chinensis), 32 finless porpoises (neophocaena phocaenoides), and four bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) were necropsied. bacteria (15 species) were isolated from nine animals. of these bacteria, 47% were of possible fecal origin reflect ...	2000	10813617
oral colonization, phenotypic, and genotypic profiles of candida species in irradiated, dentate, xerostomic nasopharyngeal carcinoma survivors.	the aim of this study was to investigate oral yeast colonization and oral yeast strain diversity in irradiated (head and neck), dentate, xerostomic individuals. subjects were recruited from a nasopharyngeal carcinoma clinic and were segregated into group a (age, <60 years [n = 25; average age +/- standard deviation (sd), 48 +/- 6 years; average postirradiation time +/- sd, 5 +/- 5 years]) and group b (age, >/=60 years [n = 8; average age +/- sd, 67 +/- 4 years; average postirradiation time +/- s ...	2000	10834980
acceptability of serum screening as an alternative to cytogenetic diagnosis of down syndrome among women 35 years or older in hong kong.	the addition of second trimester serum markers to maternal age increases the efficacy of screening for down syndrome by maternal age alone. among women aged 35 years or older, serum screening makes a large proportion of amniocentesis unnecessary. however, there are ethical and medicolegal concerns about serum screening in 'old' women, largely because some of the pregnancies affected by down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities may not be detected. we investigated the acceptability of ser ...	2000	10861714
continued circulation in china of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses encoding the hemagglutinin gene associated with the 1997 h5n1 outbreak in poultry and humans.	since the outbreak in humans of an h5n1 avian influenza virus in hong kong in 1997, poultry entering the live-bird markets of hong kong have been closely monitored for infection with avian influenza. in march 1999, this monitoring system detected geese that were serologically positive for h5n1 avian influenza virus, but the birds were marketed before they could be sampled for virus. however, viral isolates were obtained by swabbing the cages that housed the geese. these samples, known collective ...	2000	10864673
a novel missense mutation (p191l) in the glucose-6-phosphate translocase gene identified in a chinese family with glycogen storage disease 1b.		2000	10874322
a simple restriction fragment length polymorphism-based strategy that can distinguish the internal genes of human h1n1, h3n2, and h5n1 influenza a viruses.	a simple molecular technique for rapid genotyping was developed to monitor the internal gene composition of currently circulating influenza a viruses. sequence information from recent h1n1, h3n2, and h5n1 human virus isolates was used to identify conserved regions within each internal gene, and gene-specific pcr primers capable of amplifying all three virus subtypes were designed. subtyping was based on subtype-specific restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) patterns within the amplifie ...	2000	10878047
p53 polymorphism and human papillomavirus infection in hong kong women with cervical cancer.	in this study we investigated the involvement of p53 polymorphism at codon 72, the infection and typing of human papillomavirus (hpv) and the correlation of p53 polymorphism with hpv type and other clinicopathologic characteristics in 72 hong kong women with cervical cancer. we developed a simple and nonradioactive method for determining polymorphism at codon 72 of the p53 gene. the homozygous p53 arginine allele (arg/arg) was detected in 22 (31%), the homozygous p53 proline allele (pro/pro) in ...	2000	10895031
avian-to-human transmission of h9n2 subtype influenza a viruses: relationship between h9n2 and h5n1 human isolates.	in 1997, 18 cases of influenza in hong kong (bird flu) caused by a novel h5n1 (chicken) virus resulted in the deaths of six individuals and once again raised the specter of a potentially devastating influenza pandemic. slaughter of the poultry in the live bird markets removed the source of infection and no further human cases of h5n1 infection have occurred. in march 1999, however, a new pandemic threat appeared when influenza a h9n2 viruses infected two children in hong kong. these two virus is ...	2000	10920197
health beliefs and optimism as predictors of preventive health decisions in hong kong chinese.	the effects of components of the health belief model and optimism on preventive intention were examined in 144 hong kong chinese. two variables related to the health belief model, susceptibility and severity, were experimentally manipulated for an imaginary flu outbreak and a hypothetical vaccine. participants indicated their intention to take the hypothetical vaccine after reading each of the 4 combinations of high versus low susceptibility and severity. analysis suggested that both higher susc ...	2000	10932559
interspecies transmission and receptor recognition of influenza a viruses.		2000	10941924
high frequency of chromosome 3p deletion in histologically normal nasopharyngeal epithelia from southern chinese.	we have examined the presence of loss of heterozygosity (loh) on chromosome 3p in histologically normal nasopharyngeal epithelia (np), dysplastic lesions, and carcinoma of the nasopharynx from different ethnic and geographic regions. microdissected normal np from noncancerous individuals and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (npc) samples from both the high-risk group (southern chinese in hong kong) and two low-risk groups for npc (central/northern chinese in anhui/beijing and caucasians in toronto) were ...	2000	11034072
tear proteins of normal young hong kong chinese.	analysis of tear proteins is of diagnostic value for abnormal ocular conditions such as dry eye syndrome. many studies of tear proteins have been performed on caucasian subjects. however, little is known about these proteins in chinese eyes.	2000	11045341
rapid analysis of cgg repeat length in the fmr1 gene.	the number of trinucleotide cgg repeats at the 5' untranslated region of the fmr1 gene is associated with the fragile x syndrome of mental retardation. we screened for the cgg repeat length in the fmr1 gene of the x-chromosomes from unrelated normal chinese subjects recruited in hong kong and dalian, a southern and a northern chinese city respectively. these cities are about 3000 km apart and the residents have few historical interactions. genomic dna was analysed by pcr and detected by southern ...	2000	11097353
evaluation of novel influenza a viruses and their pandemic potential.		2000	11098522
caring in nursing: perceptions of hong kong nurses.	ten registered nurses in hong kong were interviewed on their perceptions of caring behaviours in their clinical settings, barriers to these behaviours, and possible ways to overcome those barriers. findings showed that respondents valued the importance of expressive behaviours and interpersonal communication skills in providing holistic patient care. they felt constrained by social, economic, cultural, and personal variables such as staff shortages, the traditional task-orientated approach of nu ...	2000	11111621
h9n2 subtype influenza a viruses in poultry in pakistan are closely related to the h9n2 viruses responsible for human infection in hong kong.	following the outbreak of h5n1 "bird flu" in hong kong in 1997, the isolation of h9n2 subtype viruses from patients in southern china and hong kong sar once again raised the spectre of a possible influenza pandemic. h9n2 viruses have recently been responsible for disease in poultry in various parts of the world and preliminary studies of the h9 haemagglutinin (ha) genes of viruses isolated during 1998 and 1999 in germany, iran, pakistan, and saudi arabia showed a close relationship to the ha gen ...	2000	11112478
population dynamics of the feral macaques in the kowloon hills of hong kong.	hong kong's feral monkey population is controversial. many people complain about the aggressiveness of the monkeys, while some conservationists urge the government to deal with the problem in a way that will not harm the monkeys. the population dynamics of the macaques in the kowloon hills were studied in 1992 and 1993. vital statistics are provided from this study as a first step in resolving the problems of human provisioning and wildlife management. it is unlikely that these macaques are indi ...	2000	10588435
the influence of weather on human mortality in hong kong.	this study is the first attempt to investigate mortality seasonality and weather-mortality relationships in hong kong from 1980 to 1994. monthly mortality data from all causes of death, neoplasm, circulatory and respiratory diseases were obtained from the census and statistics department and the weather data were obtained from the hong kong observatory. regression analyses and anova were employed. significant winter peaks in sex specific and total deaths from all causes, circulatory and respirat ...	2000	10626765
distinct pathogenesis of hong kong-origin h5n1 viruses in mice compared to that of other highly pathogenic h5 avian influenza viruses.	in 1997, an outbreak of virulent h5n1 avian influenza virus occurred in poultry in hong kong (hk) and was linked to a direct transmission to humans. the factors associated with transmission of avian influenza virus to mammals are not fully understood, and the potential risk of other highly virulent avian influenza a viruses infecting and causing disease in mammals is not known. in this study, two avian and one human hk-origin h5n1 virus along with four additional highly pathogenic h5 avian influ ...	2000	10627555
novel tigr sequence alteration val53ala.		2000	10644174
characterization of the pathogenicity of members of the newly established h9n2 influenza virus lineages in asia.	the reported transmission of avian h9n2 influenza viruses to humans and the isolation of these viruses from hong kong poultry markets lend urgency to studies of their ecology and pathogenicity. we found that h9n2 viruses from north america differ from those of asia. the north american viruses, which infect primarily domestic turkeys, replicated poorly in inoculated chickens. phylogenetic analysis of the hemagglutinin and nucleoprotein genes indicated that the asian h9n2 influenza viruses could b ...	2000	10662623
influenza a pandemics of the 20th century with special reference to 1918: virology, pathology and epidemiology.	influenza a virus initiated worldwide epidemics (pandemics) in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 1977. a revised calculation of the 1918-1919 pandemic estimates that 40 million persons died and 500 million were infected. the mortalities in 1957 and 1968 were nearly 6 million. biological and genetic characteristics of the causative agents of the more recent pandemics, have been well studied but little is known about the causative agent of the great pandemic in 1918. genetic characterisation of the 1918 virus ...	2000	10713598
incidence and pathology of primary brain lymphoma in hong kong chinese patients.	primary brain lymphoma (pbl) is an uncommon extranodal lymphoma. its incidence is rapidly increasing in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients in western countries. eighteen cases of pbl were identified during a 16-year period among hiv negative patients in queen mary hospital, hong kong. one case of post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disease (ptld) was positive for epstein barr virus (ebv) encoded rna (eber) by in situ hybridization. all the remaining 17 immunocompetent cases ...	2000	10721783
rifapentine and isoniazid in the continuation phase of a 6-month regimen. interim report: no activity of isoniazid in the continuation phase.	clinical trial amongst 762 patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis in hong kong. after an initial 2 months of a four-drug intensive phase consisting of streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide (shrz), a random allocation in continuation to once-weekly rifapentine + isoniazid (hrp1), hrp1 given in 2 of every 3 weeks (hrp1.2/3), or to three times weekly isoniazid + rifampicin (hr3).	2000	10751074
the alpha-synuclein gene and parkinson disease in a chinese population.	to study the ala53thr and ala30pro mutations of the alpha-synuclein gene in a large number of chinese patients with parkinson disease (pd) as well as controls.	2000	10768624
global epidemiology of influenza: past and present.	pandemics are the most dramatic presentation of influenza. three have occurred in the twentieth century: the 1918 h1n1 pandemic, the 1957 h2n2 pandemic, and the 1968 h3n2 pandemic. the tools of molecular epidemiology have been applied in an attempt to determine the origin of pandemic viruses and to understand what made them such successful pathogens. an excellent example of this avenue of research is the recent phylogenetic analysis of genes of the virus that caused the devastating 1918 pandemic ...	2000	10774473
adult croup: a rare but more severe condition.	we report the first adult patient with virologically confirmed croup caused by parainfluenza virus type 3 and review 10 cases of adult croup described in the english-language literature. circumstantial evidence of viral infection was present in only 1 other case, in which there was a rise in antibody titer against influenza b virus. ten patients (91%) required intensive care support. none of the 11 patients died. a comparison was also made between the 11 adults with croup and 43 children hospita ...	2000	11124654
avian influenza viruses infecting humans.	avian species, particularly waterfowl, are the natural hosts of influenza a viruses. influenza viruses bearing each of the 15 hemagglutinin and nine neuraminidase subtypes infect birds and serve as a reservoir from which influenza viruses or genes are introduced into the human population. viruses with novel hemagglutinin genes derived from avian influenza viruses, with or without other accompanying avian influenza virus genes, have the potential for pandemic spread when the human population lack ...	2000	11130181
overview of occupational health research in hong kong.	a review was undertaken to collect and collate information on studies that have been done in hong kong in the field of occupational health. both published and unpublished reports related to occupational health research in hong kong during the period 1966-1997 were sought. the data collection was performed through various means, including electronic medline searches and manual searches of local academic and professional journals. relevant information for each report was abstracted and collated. a ...	2000	11338734
ageism and sexism at work: the middle-aged women of hong kong.	employment discrimination against middle-aged women has recently captured public attention in hong kong. one reason is the economic slowdown and increasing unemployment since the 1993-94 and the 1997-to date economic downturns. this paper looks at sex and age discrimination against middle-aged women in colonial hong kong where they faced such problems as low labor force participation, occupational and industrial segregation and wage differentials, which in turn left them vulnerable to unemploy ...	2000	12179949
[the offspring of influenza a (h3n2) in finland--30 years of catching and following].		2000	12053342
the monoamine oxidase b gene gt repeat polymorphism and parkinson's disease in a chinese population.	monoamine oxidase b (maob) metabolises dopamine and activates neurotoxins known to induce parkinsonism in humans and primates. therefore the maob gene (maob; xp15.21-4) is a candidate gene for parkinson's disease (pd). longer length dinucleotide repeat sequences in a highly polymorphic gt repeat region of intron 2 of this gene showed an association with pd in an australian cohort. we repeated this allele-association study in a population of 176 chinese pd patients (90 men, 86 women) and 203 agem ...	2000	10701898
an efficacy-driven approach to the research and development of traditional chinese medicine.	research activities in traditional chinese medicine have, to date, focused on the search for relevant active substances and mechanisms of action. this research approach is shaped partly by the conventional drug development model, which commences with determining the mechanism of disease, followed by the design and synthesis of therapeutically active compounds or molecules, animal and in vitro studies, and finally clinical trials in humans. demonstration of clinical efficacy in humans using rando ...	2001	11773672
persecution: the vietnamese paradigm.		2001	20039486
traveling through the cancer trajectory: social support perceived by women with gynecologic cancer in hong kong.	a qualitative research design was selected to gather data on the experiences of social support for chinese women with gynecologic cancer. eighteen women were recruited and interviewed at an oncology unit of a teaching hospital in hong kong. content analysis of the interview data showed chinese women with gynecologic cancer placed enormous emphasis on their human relationships. family members were especially significant to them although not all identified their family relations as satisfactory or ...	2001	11605709
a polymorphism in the coding region of interleukin-13 gene is associated with atopy but not asthma in chinese children.	interleukin (il)-13 is an important cytokine secreted from type 2 helper t lymphocytes. it is essential for modulating ige synthesis by human b cells. previous studies showed that polymorphisms in the il-13 gene were associated with serum total ige or allergic asthma. the relationship of this marker with sensitization to individual aeroallergens has not been evaluated.	2001	11678850
to err is human nature. can transfusion errors due to human factors ever be eliminated?	fatal hemolytic transfusion reaction due to abo incompatibility occurs mainly as a result of clerical errors. blood sample drawn from the wrong patient and labeled as another patient's specimen will not be detected by the blood bank unless there is a previous abo grouping result.	2001	11694240
microsatellite allelotyping of chinese nasopharyngeal carcinomas.	chinese nasopharyngeal carcinoma (npc) specimens were analyzed by microsatellite allelotyping to evaluate their usefulness as biomarkers for cancer detection.	2001	11712814
[energy production of plants in grass, dicranopteris dichotoma and rhodomyrtus tomentosa communities in hong kong].	with harvest method and caloric value analysis, this paper studied the caloric values, standing energy, net fixed energy and net standing energy increment of three plant communities i.e., grass, dicranopteris dichotoma and rhodomyrtus tomentosa, in hong kong. the results showed that the caloric value was higher in d. dichotoma community and lower in grass community. the standing energy of plants in grass, d. dichotoma and r. tomentosa community was 18,638, 38,436 and 65,632 kj.m-2; net fixed ene ...	2001	11758416
epidemiology and detection of human immunodeficiency virus among pregnant women in hong kong.	to determine the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus infection among pregnant women and the neonatal outcomes in hong kong.	2001	11773666
universal antenatal human immunodeficiency virus testing in hong kong: consensus statement.	following the recommendations of the advisory council on aids, hong kong, the hospital authority announced plans to introduce universal antenatal screening for human immunodeficiency virus infection and hence, a consensus conference was held to discuss strategies for implementing such screening in hong kong. this paper reports the discussions of the consensus conference. the consensus meeting group consisted of 15 clinicians and scientists from hong kong, macau, and thailand. seven commonly aske ...	2001	11773678
reverse genetics approach towards understanding pathogenesis of h5n1 hong kong influenza a virus infection.	in 1990, palese and colleagues established a method (reverse genetics) that allowed one to generate influenza virus containing a gene segment derived from cloned cdna. although this method contributed tremendously to our understanding of influenza pathogenesis, the requirement of helper viruses limited its use in many experimental settings. recently, we and others established systems for the generation of influenza viruses entirely from cloned cdnas. these systems require only dna cloning and tr ...	2001	11779382
pulmonary cryptococcosis: a case report and review of the asian-pacific experience.	pulmonary cryptococcosis is a very rare form of pneumonia, which is seldom seen among immunocompetent patients. we report the case of a 36-year-old man who presented with indolent pneumonia that was subsequently diagnosed to be pulmonary cryptococcosis without other systemic involvement. contrary to formal belief, there was evidence of residual lung fibrosis 12 months after initial presentation. the features of pulmonary cryptococcosis reported in the asian pacific region are also reviewed.	2001	11844128
the prevalence and characterization of verotoxin-producing escherichia coli isolated from cattle and pigs in an abattoir in hong kong.	the aim of the study was to define the prevalence of verotoxin-producing escherichia coli (vtec) in cattle and pigs in a hong kong abattoir. faecal and carcass samples collected from 986 cattle and 487 pigs from an abattoir were tested for verotoxin (vt) by pcr and cytotoxicity assays. vtec was isolated from 415 and 1-8% of cattle faecal and carcass samples and from 2.1 and 0.2% of porcine faecal and carcass samples, respectively. amongst 409 vtec isolates from cattle, 9 were serotype o157:h7 an ...	2001	11349966
population data for 12 str loci in hong kong chinese.	the allele distributions at the 12 short tandem repeat (str) loci d3s1358, humvwa, humfibra/fga, humtho1, humtpox, humcsf1p0, d5s818, d13s317, d7s820, d8s1179, d21s11 and d18s51 have been determined for 284 unrelated chinese in hong kong. the combined probability of identity for the 12 str loci was about 4.1 x 10(-14) and the overall probability of excluding paternity 0.999978. none of the 12 loci were found to deviate from hardy-weinberg expectations according to the results of the exact test. ...	2001	11355412
infection of a child in hong kong by an influenza a h3n2 virus closely related to viruses circulating in european pigs.	influenza virus a/hong kong/1774/99, isolated from a young child with mild influenza, was shown to be similar in its antigenic and genetic characteristics to h3n2 viruses circulating in pigs in europe during the 1990s and in particular to be closely related to viruses isolated from two children in the netherlands in 1993. similar viruses had previously not been identified outside europe. although there is little evidence as to how the child contracted the infection, it appears likely that pigs i ...	2001	11369884
colonization patterns of wood-inhabiting fungi on baits in hong kong rivers, with reference to the effects of organic pollution.	the diversity of wood-inhabiting fungi was investigated by submerging woody baits at upstream and downstream sites of the lam tsuen and tai po rivers in hong kong. the diversity of fungi in the lam tsuen river was also compared with that on natural woody substrates found in a previous study. there were differences in the species composition between the upstream and downstream sites, possibly reflecting natural variations along the river. the tai po river downstream was organically polluted, whic ...	2001	11392481
chemical contamination of the east river (dongjiang) and its implication on sustainable development in the pearl river delta.	a recent survey reveals that water quality and river sediments of dongjiang (the east river) have been mildly contaminated by heavy metals and organic chemicals, such as copper, lead, pcbs, pahs and hchs. according to photogrammertic surveys, the sources of contamination are closely related to human activities, such as domestic and industrial discharges, agricultural chemical applications and soil erosion due to deforestation. the level of water and sediment contamination is most serious at the ...	2001	11392743
cost-effectiveness study on influenza prevention in hong kong.	recent studies confirm that influenza vaccination confers health benefits and reduces direct and indirect costs associated with the illness. however, these studies did not examine the situation in southern china, a hypothetical influenza epicentre for the emergence of pandemic influenza viruses.	2001	11399347
efficacy of vaccines in chickens against highly pathogenic hong kong h5n1 avian influenza.	in 1997, highly pathogenic (hp) h5n1 avian influenza virus (aiv) caused infections in poultry in hong kong and crossed into humans, resulting in a limited number of infections including 18 hospitalized cases and six associated deaths. the unique ability of this, aiv to infect both poultry and people raised a concern for the potential of humans to be biological as well as mechanical vectors of this aiv to poultry. the current study was undertaken to determine if existing vaccines and their techno ...	2001	11417815
a chinese patient with non-hfe-linked iron overload.	the gene for hemochromatosis (hfe) was recently identified and contains two missense mutations: c282y and h63d. the c282y mutation is found homozygous in approximately 85% to 90% of patients of northern european ancestry with hereditary hemochromatosis. there are no previous reports with results of genetic testing in chinese patients with regard to iron overload. in this case report, we describe a chinese woman with marked hepatic iron overload that was nonfamilial, with unusual biopsy findings, ...	2001	11418796
management, disposal and recycling of waste industrial organic solvents in hong kong.	an attempt has been made to establish a mass balance of industrial organic solvents in hong kong. it is estimated that only a small portion, less than 4%, of all the organic solvents consumed in hong kong are collected as waste solvents and properly treated, while the remainder are used either in the formulation of solvent containing products, or are lost to the environment through vapour emissions, leaks and spills, or dumped illegally. it was found that solvent recycling has been a common prac ...	2001	11419763
a novel germline 1.8-kb deletion of hmlh1 mimicking alternative splicing: a founder mutation in the chinese population.	we have previously reported that there is a high incidence of microsatellite instability (msi) and germline mismatch repair gene mutation in colorectal cancer arising from young hong kong chinese. most of the germline mutations involve hmsh2, which is different from the mutation spectrum in the western population. it is well known that alternative splicing is common in hmlh1, which complicates rna based mutation detection methods. in contrast, large deletions in hmlh1, commonly observed in some ...	2001	11420710
safety and ergonomics evaluation of hybrid systems in hong kong.	this study is aimed at understanding common safety and ergonomics problems with robot installation in hong kong. information was collected through direct observations and personal interviews with robot users from advanced hybrid manufacturing systems. the application areas of robots and types of safety devices employed were investigated. the ages, types of jobs, daily working hours and working conditions of personnel were examined. fire precaution measures, types and varieties of training progra ...	2001	11426686
human papillomavirus infection in non-neoplastic uterine cervical disease in hong kong.	the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) was used to detect and identify human papillomavirus (hpv) in 108 cases of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, non-neoplastic uterine cervical biopsy tissue retrieved from the surgical pathology archives of the department of pathology, caritas medical centre, hong kong. after dna extraction, hpv l1 gene primers were used to detect the presence of hpv, and type-specific primers (to hpv types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 and 33) were used to identify the specific hpv type o ...	2001	11440211
dopamine d3 receptor gene and tardive dyskinesia in chinese schizophrenic patients.	epidemiological studies have shown a lower prevalence of tardive dyskinesia (td) among chinese psychiatric patients compared to caucasian and black patient populations. it has been hypothesized that pharmacogenetic factors may underlie this cross-cultural difference. due to the important implications of the dopamine d3 receptor gene (drd3) in motor control, we investigated the frequency of polymorphic serine (ser) to glycine (gly) substitution of the gene drd3 in chinese schizophrenic patients. ...	2001	11478419
molecular epidemiological analysis of salmonella enterica serotype derby infections in hong kong.	we aimed to study the antimicrobial susceptibilities and molecular epidemiology of salmonella enterica serotype derby, a unique and common salmonella serotype in hong kong.	2001	11531322
virology. the origin and control of pandemic influenza.		2001	11546857
molecular basis for high virulence of hong kong h5n1 influenza a viruses.	in 1997, an h5n1 influenza a virus was transmitted from birds to humans in hong kong, killing 6 of the 18 people infected. when mice were infected with the human isolates, two virulence groups became apparent. using reverse genetics, we showed that a mutation at position 627 in the pb2 protein influenced the outcome of infection in mice. moreover, high cleavability of the hemagglutinin glycoprotein was an essential requirement for lethal infection.	2001	11546875
characterization of a human h9n2 influenza virus isolated in hong kong.	two h9n2 viruses were isolated, for the first time, from humans in hong kong in 1999. isolation of influenza viruses with a novel subtype of the hemagglutinin (ha) drew attention of health care authorities worldwide from the view of pandemic preparedness. sequence analysis of the ha genes reveals that ha of a/hong kong/1073/99 (h9n2) is most closely related to that of a/quail/hk/g1/97 (h9n2) that contains the internal genes similar to those of hong kong/97 (h5n1) viruses. phylogenetic and antige ...	2001	11567756
alpha-1 antitrypsin phenotypes by isoelectric focusing in a metropolitan southern chinese population.	alpha-1 antitrypsin (alpha1at) is an abundant protease inhibitor in human plasma. its phenotypic variability has been reported to be associated with pulmonary emphysema and chronic liver diseases. however, alpha1at deficiency is an uncommon condition in the chinese population. the aim of this study was to describe the phenotypic distribution of alpha1at in a southern chinese population.	2001	11577132
influenza a infection is an important cause of febrile seizures.	to compare the incidence of febrile seizures in children hospitalized for influenza a infection with parainfluenza and adenovirus infection and to examine the hypothesis that children hospitalized for influenza a (variant sydney/h3n2) during the 1998 season in hong kong had more frequent and refractory seizures when compared with other respiratory viruses, including the a/wuhan h3n2 variant that was present in the previous year.	2001	11581471
universal screening of human immunodeficiency virus infection in pregnant women in hong kong: prospective study.	to evaluate universal screening with an opt-out approach of pregnant women for human immunodeficiency virus infection.	2001	11590265
epidemiology and infection control implications of acinetobacter spp. in hong kong.	in a previous study, we showed that acinetobacter genomic dna group 3 was the most common species among blood culture isolates and was commonly found on superficial carriage sites of the healthy and the sick, which are different findings from those reported in europe and north america. we used amplified ribosomal dna restriction analysis and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to study further the molecular epidemiology of acinetobacters in our region. over a study period of 6 weeks with 136 consec ...	2001	11136776