Publications

pandemic threat posed by avian influenza a viruses.	influenza pandemics, defined as global outbreaks of the disease due to viruses with new antigenic subtypes, have exacted high death tolls from human populations. the last two pandemics were caused by hybrid viruses, or reassortants, that harbored a combination of avian and human viral genes. avian influenza viruses are therefore key contributors to the emergence of human influenza pandemics. in 1997, an h5n1 influenza virus was directly transmitted from birds in live poultry markets in hong kong ...	2001	11148006
pathology of fatal human infection associated with avian influenza a h5n1 virus.	eighteen cases of human influenza a h5n1 infection were identified in hong kong from may to december 1997. two of the six fatal cases had undergone a full post-mortem which showed reactive hemophagocytic syndrome as the most prominent feature. other findings included organizing diffuse alveolar damage with interstitial fibrosis, extensive hepatic central lobular necrosis, acute renal tubular necrosis and lymphoid depletion. elevation of soluble interleukin-2 receptor, interleukin-6 and interfero ...	2001	11170064
cross-reactive, cell-mediated immunity and protection of chickens from lethal h5n1 influenza virus infection in hong kong poultry markets.	in 1997, avian h5n1 influenza virus transmitted from chickens to humans resulted in 18 confirmed infections. despite harboring lethal h5n1 influenza viruses, most chickens in the hong kong poultry markets showed no disease signs. at this time, h9n2 influenza viruses were cocirculating in the markets. we investigated the role of h9n2 influenza viruses in protecting chickens from lethal h5n1 influenza virus infections. sera from chickens infected with an h9n2 influenza virus did not cross-react wi ...	2001	11222674
imported parakeets harbor h9n2 influenza a viruses that are genetically closely related to those transmitted to humans in hong kong.	in 1997 and 1998, h9n2 influenza a viruses were isolated from the respiratory organs of indian ring-necked parakeets (psittacula krameri manillensis) that had been imported from pakistan to japan. the two isolates were closely related to each other (>99% as determined by nucleotide analysis of eight rna segments), indicating that h9n2 viruses of the same lineage were maintained in these birds for at least 1 year. the hemagglutinins and neuraminidases of both isolates showed >97% nucleotide ident ...	2001	11238878
epstein-barr virus (ebv) infection in infancy.	epstein-barr virus (ebv) has been shown to be the cause of infectious mononucleosis (im) and has more complicated associations with several malignant diseases. these ebv associated diseases provide a strong incentive for the development of an ebv vaccine. most primary ebv infection during infancy and early childhood is mild or subclinical. little is known about its infection in infancy. the pattern of ebv serological response during infancy may be important for vaccine management.	2001	11255098
distribution of human kappa locus igkv2-29 and igkv2d-29 alleles in swedish caucasians and hong kong chinese.	polymorphism in the igkv2-29 gene was shown to decrease the recombination frequency in b cells and to be important for immune responses to haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide. by using the combination of pcr and restriction enzyme mapping, the distribution of igkv2d-29 and igkv2-29 gene alleles was estimated in two geographically and ethnically different groups. we found that v2d-29*01 homozygous individuals were most common in swedish caucasians (82%), but less common in the chinese po ...	2001	11261927
identification of the intron 14 splicing defect of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene in hong kong chinese.		2001	11298687
an uncommon cause of foot ulcer: tuberculosis osteomyelitis.	tuberculous osteomyelitis is an uncommon infection that usually involves the vertebrae. an otherwise healthy young man with a chronic discharging sinus on his right foot caused by tuberculous osteomyelitis is described. the risk factors, clinical features, radiological findings, and investigations of tuberculous osteomyelitis are briefly reviewed. tuberculous osteomyelitis usually runs an insidious course; emergency physicians should be aware of the possibility of tuberculous osteomyelitis espec ...	2001	11300193
behavioural surveillance of sexually-related risk behaviours of the chinese male general population in hong kong: a benchmark study.	the objective of the study was to establish a behavioural surveillance system (bss) for sexually-related risk behaviours of the hong kong adult male general population. benchmark data were obtained by interviewing 1,020 male respondents, age 18 to 60. the results showed that: (1) 14% of the respondents had engaged in commercial sex in the past six months, (2) 27% of the male commercial sex clients did not always use condoms when having sexual intercourse with commercial sex workers (csws), (3) 1 ...	2001	11304428
familial early-onset type 2 diabetes in chinese patients: obesity and genetics have more significant roles than autoimmunity.	we examined the prevalence of different forms of diabetes in hong kong chinese patients with familial early-onset type 2 diabetes and compared their clinical features with patients with familial late-onset type 2 diabetes.	2001	11315828
rp1 in chinese: eight novel variants and evidence that truncation of the extreme c-terminal does not cause retinitis pigmentosa.	heterozygous truncating mutations in the rp1 gene cause approximately 7% of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (rp) cases. to examine the role of rp1 mutations in rp, we screened 101 unrelated chinese rp patients (unselected for mode of inheritance) and 190 elderly normal control subjects for sequence changes in the coding exons for the 2156 amino acid rp1 protein. one patient had a mutation, thus rp1 mutations cause about 0.0% to 5.4% (95% confidence interval) of all rp among chinese. the ...	2001	11317367
hla class ii alleles in chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.	recent reports of an association between human leucocyte antigens (hla) and persistence of hepatitis b virus infection, and the familial clustering of hepatocellular carcinoma raise the question of genetic susceptibility. previous studies have been limited to serological phenotyping of hla b and dr antigens. the aim of this study was to use molecular genotyping to investigate hla class ii as a risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in hong kong chinese.	2001	11318984
heavy metal concentrations in marine fishes collected from fish culture sites in hong kong.	the levels of six heavy metals (cd, cr, cu, ni, pb, and zn) in different tissues of three species of cultured marine fishes (epinephelus areolatus, lutjanus russelli, and sparus sarba) collected from three fish culture sites in hong kong were evaluated. metal pollution problems in the fish culture sites were serious, as reflected by the high metal concentrations recorded in sea water, sediments, and the biomonitor perna viridis. in general, tissues of all three species contained high concentrati ...	2001	11116341
universal screening of human immunodeficiency virus infection in pregnant women in hong kong.		2002	11862000
a pilot study of the effects of cognitive-behavioral group therapy and peer support/counseling in decreasing psychologic distress and improving quality of life in chinese patients with symptomatic hiv disease.	forty-six chinese patients with symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) participated in a comparative study assessing the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy (cbt) and peer support/counseling group therapy (psc) in relation to improving mood and quality of life and decreasing uncertainty in illness as compared to a group receiving routine treatment with no formal psychosocial intervention. the cbt group consisted of 10 subjects, the psc group of 10 subjects, and the compar ...	2002	11874640
lack of evidence for human-to-human transmission of avian influenza a (h9n2) viruses in hong kong, china 1999.	in april 1999, isolation of avian influenza a (h9n2) viruses from humans was confirmed for the first time. h9n2 viruses were isolated from nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens collected from two children who were hospitalized with uncomplicated, febrile, upper respiratory tract illnesses in hong kong during march 1999. novel influenza viruses have the potential to initiate global pandemics if they are sufficiently transmissible among humans. we conducted four retrospective cohort studies of persons ...	2002	11897066
pathogenicity of a hong kong-origin h5n1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus for emus, geese, ducks, and pigeons.	the h5n1 type a influenza viruses that emerged in hong kong in 1997 are a unique lineage of type a influenza viruses with the capacity to transmit directly from chickens to humans and produce significant disease and mortality in both of these hosts. the objective of this study was to ascertain the susceptibility of emus (dramaius novaehollandiae), domestic geese (anser anser domesticus), domestic ducks (anas platyrhynchos), and pigeons (columba livia) to intranasal (i.n.) inoculation with the a/ ...	2002	11924603
modelling the 137cs ingestion dose from consumption of marine fish in hong kong.	this paper presents a compartmental model for estimating the ingestion dose, due to 137cs, arising from the consumption of marine fish in hong kong. 137cs is one of the more important radionuclides released in routine liquid effluents discharged from the guangdong nuclear power station at daya bay, which began commercial operation in 1994. in the model, three sea/ocean compartments are considered. assuming the discharge of this radionuclide is maintained at a constant rate, the model shows that ...	2002	11926370
risk of influenza a (h5n1) infection among poultry workers, hong kong, 1997-1998.	in 1997, outbreaks of highly pathogenic influenza a (h5n1) among poultry coincided with 18 documented human cases of h5n1 illness. although exposure to live poultry was associated with human illness, no cases were documented among poultry workers (pws). to evaluate the potential for avian-to-human transmission of h5n1, a cohort study was conducted among 293 hong kong government workers (gws) who participated in a poultry culling operation and among 1525 pws. paired serum samples collected from g ...	2002	11930308
infectious disease surveillance update.		2002	11937416
outbreak of avian influenza a(h5n1) virus infection in hong kong in 1997.	the first outbreak of avian influenza a(h5n1) virus in humans occurred in hong kong in 1997. infection was confirmed in 18 individuals, 6 of whom died. infections were acquired by humans directly from chickens, without the involvement of an intermediate host. the outbreak was halted by a territory-wide slaughter of more than 1.5 million chickens at the end of december 1997. the clinical spectrum of h5n1 infection ranges from asymptomatic infection to fatal pneumonitis and multiple organ failure. ...	2002	11938498
infectious disease surveillance update.		2002	11944179
ctla-4 gene a-g polymorphism and childhood graves' disease.	graves' disease is associated with a polymorphism at position 49 in exon 1 of the cytotoxic t-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (ctla-4) gene in caucasians and japanese. a high incidence of childhood graves' disease has been documented in hong kong chinese. the aims of this study were to investigate the ctla-4 gene a-g polymorphism association in chinese children with graves' disease.	2002	12030917
characterization of h5n1 influenza viruses that continue to circulate in geese in southeastern china.	the h5n1 influenza virus, which killed humans and poultry in 1997, was a reassortant that possibly arose in one type of domestic poultry present in the live-poultry markets of hong kong. given that all the precursors of h5n1/97 are still circulating in poultry in southern china, the reassortment event that generated h5n1 could be repeated. because a/goose/guangdong/1/96-like (h5n1; go/gd) viruses are the proposed donors of the hemagglutinin gene of the h5n1 virus, we investigated the continued c ...	2002	11739677
molecular evolution of h6 influenza viruses from poultry in southeastern china: prevalence of h6n1 influenza viruses possessing seven a/hong kong/156/97 (h5n1)-like genes in poultry.	the a/teal/hong kong/w312/97 (h6n1) influenza virus and the human h5n1 and h9n2 influenza viruses possess similar genes encoding internal proteins, suggesting that h6n1 viruses could become novel human pathogens. the molecular epidemiology and evolution of h6 influenza viruses were characterized by antigenic and genetic analyses of 29 h6 influenza viruses isolated from 1975 to 1981 and 1997 to 2000. two distinct groups were identified on the basis of their antigenic characteristics. phylogenetic ...	2002	11752141
determinants of cervical human papillomavirus infection: differences between high- and low-oncogenic risk types.	this cross-sectional survey assessed the determinants of human papillomavirus (hpv) infections among 2080 women who participated in cervical cancer screening. hpvs were typed by restriction and sequencing analyses. the prevalence of hpv was 7.3% (4.2% for high-risk, 1.9% for low-risk, and 2.1% for unknown-risk types). high-risk hpv prevalence decreased with age, whereas low- and unknown-risk hpvs had a second peak in older women. young age was the only common variable associated with the 3 group ...	2002	11756978
power of exclusion revisited: probability of excluding relatives of the true father from paternity.	in parentage testing using dna markers, the formulae for calculating the probability of exclusion generally overstate the power of a test battery by considering its ability to exclude a random man. it is known that in many cases, in particular immigration applications, the false father is more likely to be a relative, e.g. brother, of the true father than an unrelated man. this work presents formulae that take this consideration into account. a practical example using hong kong data is provided ...	2002	12056522
emergence of multiple genotypes of h5n1 avian influenza viruses in hong kong sar.	although a/hong kong/156/97 (h5n1/97)-like viruses associated with the "bird flu" incident in hong kong sar have not been detected since the slaughter of poultry in 1997, its putative precursors continue to persist in the region. one of these, goose/guangdong/1/96 (h5n1 gs/gd)-like viruses, reassorted with other avian viruses to generate multiple genotypes of h5n1 viruses that crossed to chickens and other terrestrial poultry from its reservoir in geese. whereas none of these recent reassortants ...	2002	12077307
lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of oral cavity: report of three cases and literature review.	lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma is a rare tumour in the oral cavity and is characterized histologically by non-keratinizing, undifferentiated squamous cell carcinoma with lymphocytic infiltration. three consecutive cases of intraoral lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma are reported. a review of the literature reveals a similar biological behaviour to that of nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma: a high incidence of cervical nodal spread and remarkable radiosensitivity. chemotherapy should be considere ...	2002	12102423
the continued pandemic threat posed by avian influenza viruses in hong kong.	in 1997, a highly pathogenic avian h5n1 influenza virus was transmitted directly from live commercial poultry to humans in hong kong. of the 18 people infected, six died. the molecular basis for the high virulence of this virus in mice was found to involve an amino acid change in the pb2 protein. to eliminate the source of the pathogenic virus, all birds in the hong kong markets were slaughtered. in 1999, another avian influenza virus of h9n2 subtype was transmitted to two children in hong kong. ...	2002	12110213
influenza a (h5n1) in hong kong: an overview.	worldwide pandemics of human influenza virus caused extensive morbidity and mortality around the world had been documented in the 20th century. however, the mechanisms involved in the emergence of novel influenza virus and the epidemiological factors leading to pandemics are unpredictable. southern china is postulated as the epicentre of influenza epidemics due to its agricultural-based communities and high population density. pandemic influenza viruses are through to arise from avian viruses th ...	2002	12110265
h5n1 influenza in hong kong: virus characterizations.	in 1997, 18 people were infected in hong kong with an avian influenza a(h5n1) virus from chicken. this type of interspecies transmission was never detected before and could have resulted in the development of a pandemic strain. the occurrence suggests that the pig is not needed for the emergence of pandemic influenza virus strains. characteristics of the strains involved are discussed in relation to the question why, on the one hand, these strains were able to infect humans but on the other hand ...	2002	12110266
establishment, characterization, karyotyping, and comparative genomic hybridization analysis of hkesc-2 and hkesc-3: two newly established human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines.	the establishment of esophageal cancer cell lines can facilitate the search for molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis. two novel human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (escc) cell lines, hkesc-2 and hkesc-3, were established from a moderately differentiated escc of a 46-year-old chinese woman and a well-differentiated escc of a 74-year-old chinese man, both from hong kong. the pathological characteristics (morphological, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic studies), tumori ...	2002	12127396
expression of epidermal growth factor receptor in head and neck cancers correlates with clinical progression: a multicentre immunohistochemical study in the asia-pacific region.	with ongoing efforts to target the epidermal growth factor receptor (egfr)-mediated tumour growth in the treatment of selected human malignancies, there is a need to determine the expression levels of egfr and to evaluate its prognostic value in various malignancies in the asia-pacific region.	2002	12147092
association of human papillomavirus type 58 variant with the risk of cervical cancer.	human papillomavirus (hpv) type 58 has been found to be prevalent among chinese patients with cervical cancer. this study examined the oncogenic risk of hpv58 variants in hong kong, a southern part of china. altogether, 1924 women were studied: 42.8% with a normal cervix, 16.2% with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (cin) i, 12.7% with cin ii, 20.8% with cin iii, and 7.6% with invasive cervical cancer (icc). the overall prevalence of hpv58 was 11.4% (220) and increased statistically significant ...	2002	12189229
human papillomavirus type 16 intratypic variant infection and risk for cervical neoplasia in southern china.	a case-control study was conducted on 1986 hong kong women to assess the risk of human papillomavirus (hpv) type 16 variants for cervical neoplasia. in total, 255 women were hpv-16 positive and were analyzed for e6 and e7 sequence variation. two novel substitutions at e6 (t86i and q116e) and 1 at e7 (r66w) were found. most hpv-16 variants were of asian (50.6%) or european (44.3%) lineage, and both lineages showed similar risk associations for high-grade and invasive cervical neoplasia. no increa ...	2002	12195358
organochlorine hydrocarbons in human breast milk collected in hong kong and guangzhou.	in southern china, the awareness of persistent organic pollutant contamination has been increasing as a considerable number of past studies in hong kong had reported their trail in the coastal sediments, green-lipped mussels, muscle and viscera of pond fish, and foodstuffs. hence there is an urgent need to assess their existence, contamination profiles, and potential impact on the public. in the present study, a survey was conducted to examine p,p'-ddt, p,p'-dde, beta-hch, and pcb concentrations ...	2002	12202934
hiv-related behaviours among voluntary blood donors in hong kong.	the present study examined the prevalence of and factors associated with deferrable risk behaviours practised by male voluntary blood donors in hong kong. attitudes and knowledge related to hiv/aids and blood donation among both male and female blood donors were also studied. in total, 2,162 (1,190 male and 972 female) blood donors in four hong kong red cross blood transfusion services (hkrcbts) centres completed an anonymous structured questionnaire. about 11% of the male respondents have pract ...	2002	12204151
the makings of a killer.		2002	12205448
genotype spectrum of cervical human papillomavirus infection among sexually transmitted disease clinic patients in hong kong.	previous studies have suggested that a few uncommon human papillomavirus (hpv) genotypes are prevalent in chinese cervical cancer patients. to elucidate the genotype spectrum of hpvs circulating among hong kong chinese, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 553 women who attended a public sexually transmitted disease clinic. hpv dna was detected from cervical samples using the polymerase chain reaction, followed by genotype identification based on restriction fragment length polymorphism and ...	2002	12210419
memoir on hepatitis and liver disease history in hong kong.		2002	12534791
extra-pulmonary and pulmonary tuberculosis in hong kong.	to compare the characteristics of patients with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis and to describe the organ involvement, diagnosis and treatment of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis.	2002	12365574
chinese cultural dynamics of unemployability of male adults with psychiatric disabilities in hong kong.	work and employment has long been regarded as crucial for the mental health of human beings. unemployment may lead to deterioration of physical and mental health. nevertheless, for adults with psychiatric disabilities, discontinuity of employment is common. they may have various reasons to discontinue their employment. in hong kong, only 2.5% of people with psychiatric disabilities discharged from sheltered workshops are able to seek open employment. by means of illustration, the authors will sh ...	2002	12433223
hong kong flu still poses pandemic threat.		2002	12435238
experience with the clinical development of influenza vaccines for potential pandemics.	during normal interpandemic influenza seasons, immune responses to vaccines are quite predictable and meet the licensing criteria of the european union (eu) committee for proprietary medicinal products (cpmp). in a pandemic situation, large sections, if not all of the community will be immunologically naïve and therefore new immunisation strategies will be needed. in 1976 and 1977 h1n1 vaccines were prepared and tested clinically. to stimulate 'protective' antibody responses, two doses of vaccin ...	2002	12458360
animal research, non-vegetarianism, and the moral status of animals--understanding the impasse of the animal rights problem.	i offer some reasons for the theory that, compared with human beings, non-human animals have some but lesser intrinsic value. on the basis of this theory, i first argue that we do not know how to compare an animal's claim to be free from a more serious type of harm (e.g., death), and a human's claim to be free from some lesser type of harm (e.g., non-fatal morbidity). for we need to take account of these parties' intrinsic value, and their competing types of claim. yet, there exists no known way ...	2002	12461712
influenza-related hospitalizations among children in hong kong.	it has been difficult to define the burden of influenza in children because of confounding by the cocirculation of respiratory syncytial virus (rsv). in hong kong, china, the influenza and rsv infection seasons sometimes do not overlap, thus providing an opportunity to estimate the rate of influenza-related hospitalization in a defined population, free from the effects of rsv.	2002	12501221
the global implications of influenza in hong kong.		2002	12501229
a preliminary study of ozone trend and its impact on environment in hong kong.	as far as the impact of air pollutants on human health being is concerned, ozone (o3) is one of the most pollutant sources, and, in particular, the ground level ozone is responsible for a variety of adverse effects on both human being and plant life. to protect the population from such adverse health effects, early information and precautions about the high ozone level need to be ascertained. in this study, statistical characteristics of ground level ozone is analyzed according to field monitori ...	2002	12503916
concentrations of pcbs in coastal mangrove sediments of hong kong.	the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) in surface sediments of ten mangrove sites in hong kong were determined by congener-specific and arcolor methods. spatial variations were found between mangrove sites and within the same site, indicating that the sediment samples were heterogeneous and total pcbs concentrations in mangrove sediments should be normalised to compensate for natural variability and for identifying serious anthropogenic contamination. in addition to total organic ...	2002	12222887
reliability and validity of self-reported assessment of exposure and outcome variables for manual lifting tasks: a preliminary investigation.	the reliability and validity of self-reported assessment of exposure and outcome variables were examined for manual lifting activities among ten physiotherapists. in this study, the participants evaluated the effects of five lifting variables on perceived effort, twice separated by a one-week period. one hundred and sixty-two lifting conditions were evaluated by each subject. the exposure and outcome lifting variables were described in linguistic terms. intra-class correlation coefficient (icc(1 ...	2002	12236655
[sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome). emergent transmissible disease].	of the reemergent transmissible diseases of the past decades, sars is probably not the last to express the alterations occurring in the relationships of the human being with its global ecosystem. the life of contemporary man is characterized, among others, by a huge thirst for traveling, for varied reasons, consequence of the globalization process. sars virus, mutant belonging to coronaviridae, occurred in one of the most densely populated areas of the world. there are two main moments marking t ...	2003	14755924
determination of total potentially available nucleosides in human milk from asian women.	the objective was to measure the total potentially available nucleosides (tpan) in breast milk from asian women.	2003	12507633
comparison of dioxin and pcb concentrations in human breast milk samples from hong kong and the netherlands.	the adverse effects of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) on human health are of increasing concern. these lipophilic compounds are concentrated through the food chain and are present in human milk. this study compares pcb levels in human milk samples from hong kong and dutch mothers. ten breast milk samples from hong kong and 10 from the netherlands were collected during home visits between 2 and 6 weeks postpartum. total toxic equivalence (teq) of dioxin and pcbs were determined usin ...	2003	12519720
nuclear beta catenin as a potential prognostic and diagnostic marker in patients with colorectal cancer from hong kong.	to study the expression of nuclear beta catenin in patients with colorectal cancer, colorectal adenoma, and colorectal polyps to elucidate its role in carcinogenesis, and its potential for prognosis and diagnosis.	2003	14645698
a case of oral myiasis due to chrysomya bezziana.	chrysomya bezziana is a causative agent of obligatory myiasis. we report the first case of human infestation of chrysomya bezziana in hong kong in an 89-year-old woman who had previously had a stroke. one day after hospital admission for fever, a small fissure at the labial gingiva of the upper incisors and several ulcerative lesions at the hard palate were noticed during routine mouth care. a live maggot was seen protruding from the small fissure. in the following few days, a total of seven mag ...	2003	14660813
how are social identities linked to self-conception and intergroup orientation? the moderating effect of implicit theories.	social identity approaches assume that social identification affects both self-conception and intergroup orientation. the authors contend that such social identification effects are accentuated when people hold a fixed view of human character and attribute immutable dispositions to social groups. to these individuals, social identities are immutable, concrete entities capable of guiding self-conception and intergroup orientation. social identification effects are attenuated when people hold a ma ...	2003	14674820
sex differences on the progressive matrices: some data from hong kong.	there has been a debate between n. j. mackintosh and the first author of this paper on whether the sex difference on the progressive matrices is zero or, at most, 1-2 iq points in favour of either sex, as maintained by mackintosh, or whether from the age of 15 years onwards males obtain higher average scores than females by more than 2 iq points, as maintained by lynn. new data relevant to this controversy are presented from hong kong consisting of sex differences on the standardization sample o ...	2003	12537162
effects of training and experience on perception of hazard and risk.	this study was designed to show how those proficient at a machining task, where proficiency was gained through both training and past experience, influence the perceived hazard and risk when observing computer numerical control (cnc) machining. the study was also designed to determine whether the impact of the visual and auditory cues can be isolated during diagnosis of the hazard. in a study that included 40 participants, results show that trained observers can perceive more correctly a hazardo ...	2003	12554401
abca4 sequence variants in chinese patients with age-related macular degeneration or stargardt's disease.	abca4 gene sequence alterations cause stargardt's disease (stgd) and may cause some age-related macular degeneration (amd). we sought to shed light on these associations among hong kong chinese by genotyping 140 amd, 18 stgd and 95 normal control subjects for 15 abca4 exons which were reported to often contain amd- or stgd-associated mutations. sequence alterations r212h, t1428m, v1433i, t1572m, i2166m, ivs6-5t>g and ivs33+1g>t were found in amd patients. t1428m and r2040x occurred in stgd patie ...	2003	12592048
familial high myopia linkage to chromosome 18p.	a locus for autosomal dominant high myopia was reported on chromosome 18p. we sought to confirm this finding and narrow the reported interval by analyzing high myopia among families of hong kong chinese, in whom myopia is common. in 15 families with a possibly autosomal dominant inheritance of high myopia (>or=-6 dpt) in at least 2 generations, 10 chromosome 18p markers were analyzed for linkage with high myopia. two-point linkage analysis showed trends toward linkage of markers d18s476 and d18s ...	2003	12592049
tgfbeta-induced factor: a candidate gene for high myopia.	to investigate the coding exons of transforming growth factor (tgf)-beta-induced factor (tgif) for mutations in chinese patients with high myopia.	2003	12601022
invasive streptococcus iniae infections outside north america.	streptococcus iniae, a fish pathogen causing infections in aquaculture farms worldwide, has only been reported to cause human infections in north america. in this article, we report the first two cases of invasive s. iniae infections in two chinese patients outside north america. while the first patient presented with bacteremic cellulitis, which is the most common presentation in previous cases, the second patient represents the first recognized case of s. iniae osteomyelitis. both s. iniae str ...	2003	12624022
infectious disease. an avian flu jumps to people.		2003	12624244
hong kong chinese family caregiving: cultural categories of bodily order and the location of self.	this ethnographic study entailed interviews and observations over 2 years involving 35 hong kong chinese families caring for elderly coresidential members. bodily disorder was a starting point from which to locate identifiably chinese attempts to restore disrupted family relations. themes included bodies out of order--challenging confucian-informed models of family obligation; controlling bodily excretions; the body in decay; and the body as the location of self. the management of bodily order b ...	2003	12643026
trisomy 21 and other chromosomal abnormalities in acute promyelocytic leukemia.	we describe a case of acute promyelocytic leukemia (apl) with t(15;17)(q22;q12) and trisomy 21 as an additional change in a patient who died at relapse after achieving complete remission (cr) for the duration of 20 months. a survey of 42 cases of apl with cytogenetic study performed at our institutionover the past 10 years showed 12 cases (28.6%) having chromosomal changes in addition to t(15;17). trisomy 8 and trisomy 21 as additional changes were noted in 4 and 2 cases, respectively, with one ...	2003	12645658
strong association between n-acetyltransferase 2 genotype and pd in hong kong chinese.	the slow acetylator genotype for n-acetyltransferase 2 (nat2 genotype) may be associated with pd in white subjects and the genotype is common in both white and chinese populations. whether there is a relationship between nat2 genotype and pd in chinese subjects is not known.	2003	12654968
voluntary hiv antibody testing amongst youth in hong kong.	we performed a study to estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) antibody-testing behaviour among youth in hong kong. it was a population-based cross-sectional study. questions on hiv testing were asked as part of a youth sexuality study conducted in july to december 1996 among young adults in hong kong. a total of 517 (53.6%) males and 447 (46.4%) females aged 17 to 28 years completed an anonymous structured self-administered questionnaire. respo ...	2003	12662393
tuberculosis in hong kong-patient characteristics and treatment outcome.	to identify the general characteristics of patients with tuberculosis, and to evaluate their treatment outcomes.	2003	12668817
clinical profiles of human immunodeficiency virus-associated lymphoma in hong kong.	to identify the clinical and prognostic features of human immunodeficiency virus-associated lymphoma in the local population with a view to designing more effective treatment strategies.	2003	12668818
the first patient with locally acquired dengue fever in hong kong.	this report is of the first locally acquired case of dengue fever. the diagnosis was made even in the absence of a history of travel outside hong kong. the patient was a 21-year-old man, who presented with high fever, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated liver enzymes. his haematocrit revealed mild haemoconcentration but the albumin was normal throughout the course of the illness. his blood pressure remained low with no tachycardia or overt shock syndrome. the pyrexia subsided 4 days after ...	2003	12668825
the next influenza pandemic: lessons from hong kong.	pandemic influenza is a zoonosis. studies on influenza ecology conducted in hong kong since the 1970s in which hong kong essentially functioned as an influenza sentinel post indicated that it might be possible, for the first time, to have influenza preparedness at the baseline avian level. this appreciation of influenza ecology facilitated recognition of the h5n1 'bird flu' incident in hong kong in 1997 in what was considered to be an incipient pandemic situation, the chicken being the source of ...	2003	12675938
ecological restoration of mine degraded soils, with emphasis on metal contaminated soils.	this paper reviews the ecological aspects of mined soil restoration, with special emphasis on maintaining a long-term sustainable vegetation on toxic metal mine sites. the metal mined soils are man-made habitats which are very unstable and will become sources of air and water pollution. establishment of a vegetation cover is essential to stabilize the bare area and to minimize the pollution problem. in addition to remediate the adverse physical and chemical properties of the sites, the choice of ...	2003	12688490
epidemiology, clinical presentation and laboratory investigation of severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars) in canada, march 2003.	as of 23 march, 2003, 11 cases of sars have been reported in canada. three patients had travelled to china, including hong kong sar. the remaining eight had a history of close contact with cases. there have been three deaths. to date, evidence for human metapneumovirus has been found in six cases; further studies are ongoing to determine whether this virus is the causative agent of the sars or whether other, so far undetected, pathogens are responsible. public health measures are being implement ...	2003	12710251
multilocus sequence typing and evolutionary relationships among the causative agents of melioidosis and glanders, burkholderia pseudomallei and burkholderia mallei.	a collection of 147 isolates of burkholderia pseudomallei, b. mallei, and b. thailandensis was characterized by multilocus sequence typing (mlst). the 128 isolates of b. pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, were obtained from diverse geographic locations, from humans and animals with disease, and from the environment and were resolved into 71 sequence types. the utility of the mlst scheme for epidemiological investigations was established by analyzing isolates from captive marine ma ...	2003	12734250
infectious diseases. up close and personal with sars.		2003	12738826
ebv specific antibody-based and dna-based assays in serologic diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.	we assessed 5 ebv specific assays for their capacity to effect serologic diagnosis of suspected npc. the assays were the immunofluorescent assays, vca iga and ea iga, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays specific for ebna 1 iga or zta igg and an ebv dna assay. serum samples were taken from 218 symptomatic npc patients presenting consecutively at a public hospital in hong kong, 51 of whom were subsequently diagnosed as having npc; 4 had ebv-associated lung cancer with similar serology as npc. t ...	2003	12740922
prediction of maximum daily ozone level using combined neural network and statistical characteristics.	analysis and forecasting of air quality parameters are important topics of atmospheric and environmental research today due to the health impact caused by air pollution. as one of major pollutants, ozone, especially ground level ozone, is responsible for various adverse effects on both human being and foliage. therefore, prediction of ambient ozone levels in certain environment, especially the ground ozone level in densely urban areas, is of great importance to urban air quality and city image. ...	2003	12742398
x-ray structure of the hemagglutinin of a potential h3 avian progenitor of the 1968 hong kong pandemic influenza virus.	we have determined the structure of the ha of an avian influenza virus, a/duck/ukraine/63, a member of the same antigenic subtype, h3, as the virus that caused the 1968 hong kong influenza pandemic, and a possible progenitor of the pandemic virus. we find that structurally significant differences between the avian and the human has are restricted to the receptor-binding site particularly the substitutions q226l and g228s that cause the site to open and residues within it to rearrange, including ...	2003	12758169
children with respiratory disease associated with metapneumovirus in hong kong.	human metapneumovirus (hmpv) is a newly discovered pathogen thought to be associated with respiratory disease. we report the results of a study of 587 children hospitalized with respiratory infection over a 13-month period. hmpv was detected in the nasopharyngeal aspirates from 32 (5.5%) children by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. hmpv infection was associated with clinical diagnoses of pneumonia (36%), asthma exacerbation (23%), or acute bronchiolitis (10%). when compared to th ...	2003	12781000
genetic alterations of lung adenocarcinoma in relation to smoking and ethnicity.	adenocarcinoma of the lung is now the most common histologic subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc) worldwide. in chinese populations, the incidence of lung adenocarcinoma is amongst the highest worldwide and its development in non-smoking females is particularly striking. information on the associated underlying genetic changes has been, however, minimal to date. the present study represents the first systematic analysis on the overall genetic changes in lung adenocarcinoma of chinese fe ...	2003	12826317
neurotropism of the 1997 hong kong h5n1 influenza virus in mice.	the direct transmission of h5n1 influenza a viruses from chickens to humans in hong kong in 1997 emphasized the need to have information on the pathogenesis of avian influenza virus infection in mammals. h5n1 influenza viruses isolated from patients during the incident killed experimentally infected mice. the principal lesions of the mice were broncho-interstitial pneumonia and nonsuppurative encephalitis. infectious viruses and/or viral antigens were detected in the brain as well as in the trig ...	2003	12860072
a study of ozone variation trend within area of affecting human health in hong kong.	as far as the impact of air pollutants on human health being concerned, ozone is one of the main pollutants in atmosphere. in particular, the ground level ozone is responsible for a variety of adverse effects on both human being and plant life. to protect the humankind from such adverse health effects, early information and precautions of high ozone level need to be supplied in times. in this study, statistical characteristics of ground level ozone is analyzed according to the field monitoring d ...	2003	12867170
[severe acute respiratory syndrome: the first transmissible disease of the 21st century].	the severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars) is the first severe and easily transmissible disease to emerge in the 21st century. it is caused by the infection with a coronavirus, a single strand rna capsulated virus, recently found in a small mammalian, the masked palm civet. it is likely to represent the source of human infection. the first cases of sars have been reported in the chinese province of guangdong and, since then, probable cases have been reported world wide. the clinical picture is ...	2003	12868234
hong kong under who spotlight after flu outbreak.		2003	12907480
pitfalls in diagnosis of interstitial pregnancy.	to determine the incidence and reasons for misdiagnosis in interstitial ectopic pregnancy.	2003	12911450
serum concentration of macrophage-derived chemokine may be a useful inflammatory marker for assessing severity of atopic dermatitis in infants and young children.	chemokines are responsible for the trafficking of leukocytes to sites of inflammation. serum chemokine levels were previously shown to be increased in adult patients with atopic dermatitis (ad). we tested whether serum concentrations of chemokines, including macrophage-derived chemokine (mdc), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (tarc), eotaxin (eox), interferon gamma inducible protein 10 (ip-10) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (mcp-1), are useful inflammatory markers for assessing ad s ...	2003	12911508
different optineurin mutation pattern in primary open-angle glaucoma.	the optineurin gene (optn) is the second gene besides myoc in which mutations have been identified to be associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (poag). in this study, sequence alterations in the optn gene associated with poag in chinese subjects were investigated.	2003	12939304
facial anthropometry of hong kong chinese babies.	to provide a database of the craniofacial measurements of chinese infants born in hong kong.	2003	12962199
genetic variation of glycoproteins b and h of human herpesvirus 7 in hong kong.	glycoprotein b (gb) and glycoprotein h (gh) of human herpesvirus 7 (hhv-7) are believed to play an important role in virus entry and as targets for host immune response. this study examined the genetic diversity of these glycoproteins among 90 hhv-7 isolates collected from different individuals in hong kong. overall, both the gb and gh genes were found to be highly conserved. nucleotide polymorphism was detected only at four positions of the gb-encoding region, and all of these were synonymous s ...	2003	12966550
influenza vaccine enlisted to prevent sars confusion.		2003	13678898
mean corpuscular volume and the aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genotype in male japanese workers.	increased mean corpuscular volume (mcv) is common in alcohol abusers and alcoholics. mcv is higher in japanese heavy drinkers with inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (aldh2) encoded by aldh21/22 than among those with active aldh2 encoded by aldh21/21. inactive aldh2 dramatically increases blood acetaldehyde levels after alcohol intake. because moderate and heavy drinkers with aldh21/22 have very high risks for esophageal cancer, mcv might serve as an indicator of these high-risk drinkers.	2003	14506399
human metapneumovirus detection in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.	we used a combination approach of conventional virus isolation and molecular techniques to detect human metapneumovirus (hmpv) in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars). of the 48 study patients, 25 (52.1%) were infected with hmpv; 6 of these 25 patients were also infected with coronavirus, and another 5 patients (10.4%) were infected with coronavirus alone. using this combination approach, we found that human laryngeal carcinoma (hep-2) cells were superior to rhesus monkey kidne ...	2003	14519240
report on avian influenza in the eastern hemisphere during 1997-2002.	since the fourth international symposium on avian influenza (ai) there has been considerable ai activity in the eastern hemisphere. the higher profile of ai resulting from the human infections with h5n1 and h9n2 viruses in hong kong, in 1997 and 1999, respectively, resulted in increased reporting and active surveillance. there have been three reported incidents of high-pathogenicity (hp) ai: h5n2 in northeastern italy in 1997 (eight outbreaks); h5n1 in hong kong in 1997 recurring in 2001 and 200 ...	2003	14575066
avian influenza in hong kong 1997-2002.	in 1997, a high-pathogenicity h5n1 avian influenza virus caused serious disease in both man and poultry in hong kong, china. eighteen human cases of disease were recorded, six of which were fatal. this unique virus was eliminated through total depopulation of all poultry markets and chicken farms in december 1997. other outbreaks of high-pathogenicity avian influenza (hpai) caused by h5n1 viruses occurred in poultry in 2001 and 2002. these h5n1 viruses isolated had different internal gene conste ...	2003	14575073
generation and characterization of an h9n2 cold-adapted reassortant as a vaccine candidate.	h9n2 subtype avian influenza viruses have been identified in avian species worldwide, and infections in pigs were confirmed in hong kong in 1998. subsequently, h9n2 viruses were isolated from two children in hong kong in 1999, and five human infections were reported from china, raising the possibility that h9n2 viruses pose a potential pandemic threat for humans. these events prompted us to develop a vaccine candidate to protect humans against this subtype of influenza a viruses. reassortant h1n ...	2003	14575127
pathogenesis of and immunity to a new influenza a (h5n1) virus isolated from duck meat.	the outbreak of avian influenza h5n1 in hong kong in 1997 raised concerns about the potential for the h5 subtype to cause a human pandemic. in 2001 a new h5n1 virus, a/duck meat/anyang/avl-1/2001 (a/dkmt), was isolated from imported duck meat in korea. the pathogenesis of this virus was investigated in mice. a/dkmt virus had low infectivity but was lethal for mice at high doses, and at lethal doses, the virus replicated in the brains of infected mice. a/dkmt virus cross-reacted poorly with ferre ...	2003	14575129
differences between influenza virus receptors on target cells of duck and chicken and receptor specificity of the 1997 h5n1 chicken and human influenza viruses from hong kong.	to study whether influenza virus receptors in chickens differ from those in other species, we compared the binding of lectins and influenza viruses with known receptor specificity to cell membranes and gangliosides from epithelial tissues of ducks, chickens, and african green monkeys. we found that chicken cells contained neu5ac alpha(2-6)gal-terminated receptors recognized by sambucus nigra lectin and by human viruses. this finding explains how some recent h9n2 viruses replicate in chickens des ...	2003	14575133
hong kong's gloom and doom.		2003	14607533
assessing the impact of airline travel on the geographic spread of pandemic influenza.	the objective of this research is to explore what would happen if the hong kong influenza pandemic strain of 1968-1969 returned in 2000. we report the results of a series of simulations of an seir epidemic model coupled with air transportation data for 52 global cities. preliminary results suggest that if the 1968-1969 pandemic strain returned, it would spread concurrently to cities in both the northern and southern hemispheres thereby exhibiting less of the characteristic seasonal swing. in add ...	2003	14620941