| barriers and facilitators to human papillomavirus vaccination among chinese adolescent girls in hong kong: a qualitative-quantitative study. | to explore perceptions towards cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (hpv) infection and hpv vaccination and to identify factors affecting the acceptability of hpv vaccination among chinese adolescent girls in hong kong. | 2008 | 18256106 |
| increase of integration events and infection loads of human papillomavirus type 52 with lesion severity from low-grade cervical lesion to invasive cancer. | infection load and the integration of human papillomaviruses (hpv) have been implicated as determinants for oncogenesis, but whether variation among different hpv types exists remains unclear. we investigated 91 women infected with hpv type 52 (hpv-52), a type that is rare worldwide but common in east asia. the median viral load increased with the severity of the lesion (248 copies/cell equivalent for normal/cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [cin] grade 1, 402 copies/cell equivalent for cin 2, ... | 2008 | 18272718 |
| valuing the health benefits of improving indoor air quality in residences. | unlike commercial premises, the indoor air quality of residences is more dynamic, uncontrolled, and prone to human behavioral changes. in consequence, measuring the health benefit gains derived from improving indoor air quality in residences is more complicated. to overcome this, a human thermal comfort model was first integrated with indoor microenvironment models, and subsequently linked with appropriate concentration-response and economic data for estimating the economic benefit gains derived ... | 2008 | 18291444 |
| pediatric hospitalization of acute respiratory tract infections with human bocavirus in hong kong. | respiratory tract infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. human bocavirus (hbov) has recently been identified and implicated as an aetiologic agent of lower respiratory tract infection in children. | 2008 | 18296108 |
| development and validation of a total coronary heart disease risk score in type 2 diabetes mellitus. | there are no validated risk scores for predicting coronary heart disease (chd) in chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. this study aimed to validate the ukpds risk engine and, if indicated, develop chd risk scores. a total of 7,067 patients without chd at baseline were analyzed. data were randomly assigned to a training data set and a test data set. cox models were used to develop risk scores to predict total chd in the training data set. calibration was assessed using the hosmer-lemes ... | 2008 | 18308005 |
| polymorphisms of the fibrinogen-beta gene are related to 2-hour glucose level after oral glucose tolerance test in hong kong chinese. | fibrinogen, an acute phase protein, is an important inflammatory marker that is associated with cardiovascular diseases. we studied the association of three common human fibrinogen-beta gene (fgb) variants, -455g>a, -249c>t, and -148c>t with glycemic parameters in 265 non-diabetic hong kong chinese subjects. both fgb variants, -455g>a and -148c>t were in complete linkage disequilibrium and were associated with higher levels of plasma fibrinogen and 2-h glucose after a 75-g oral glucose load (p<0 ... | 2008 | 18334738 |
| hong kong closes all primary schools in flu outbreak. | | 2008 | 18356218 |
| monitoring of toxic substances in the hong kong marine environment. | a long-term programme for monitoring toxic substances in the marine environment was established in hong kong in 2004, focusing on chemicals of potential ecological and health concern. the programme ran on 3-year cycles, with the first two years monitoring marine water, sediment, biota, and the third year monitoring pollution sources. twenty-four priority chemicals were measured, including dioxins/furans, dioxin-like pcbs, total pcbs, pahs, ddts, hchs, tbts, phenol, nonylphenol (np), np ethoxylat ... | 2008 | 18358499 |
| emergence of adamantane-resistant influenza a(h3n2) viruses in hong kong between 1997 and 2006. | resistance to adamantanes for treating influenza a(h3n2) has increased dramatically, worldwide, over the past 5 years. a comprehensive 10-year data set on the rise of adamantane-resistance in hong kong is reported. nucleotide sequences encoding the m2-ion channel of influenza a(h3n2) were obtained from 281 h3n2 isolates collected from adamantane-naive children admitted to a teaching hospital in hong kong, between 1997 and 2006. these sequences were screened for the presence of recognized adamant ... | 2008 | 18360910 |
| opposite-sex twins: when they marry; research reviews: familial twinning, twin study of food neophobia, and monozygotic twins discordant for phenotypic sex; human interest: the cave of romulus and remus, twin politicians in poland, and parents of twins in hong kong. | a case of opposite-sex co-twins who married one another was recently reported. this case raises questions concerning the bases of mate attraction and adopted children's right to know their biological origins. this overview is followed by summaries of recent studies of familial twinning, food neophobia and monozygotic twins discordant for phenotypic sex. several topics of general interest are also presented. | 2008 | 18361726 |
| clinical presentations and outcomes of penicillium marneffei infections: a series from 1994 to 2004. | to describe the clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of patients with penicillium marneffei infections in a regional hospital in hong kong. | 2008 | 18382016 |
| her2 overexpression of breast cancers in hong kong: prevalence and concordance between immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridisation assays. | to evaluate the prevalence of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (her2) gene overexpression in breast cancer patients encountered in hong kong and the concordance of her2 findings from primary immunohistochemistry assays and confirmatory in-situ hybridisation assays. | 2008 | 18382020 |
| polycyclic musks in green-lipped mussels (perna viridis) from hong kong. | six polycyclic musk compounds [cashmeran (dpmi), celestolide (adbi), phantolide (ahmi), traseolide (atii), tonalide (ahtn), and galaxolide (hhcb)] were analysed in marine green-lipped mussels (perna viridis) from hong kong. adbi, hhcb and ahtn were detected in almost all samples, while ahmi, atii and dpmi were not detected. concentrations of adbi, hhcb and ahtn in mussels ranged from below detection limit-0.0743 (mean: 0.0246), 0.247-6.08 (mean: 1.15) and 0.0591-0.738 (mean: 0.190)mg/kg lipid we ... | 2008 | 18384818 |
| the prognostic significance of tumor vascular invasion and its association with plasma epstein-barr virus dna, tumor volume and metabolic activity in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. | parapharyngeal tumor invasion is a known predictor of distant recurrence in stage ii-iii nasopharyngeal carcinoma (npc). this study evaluated the prognostic significance of parapharyngeal and cavernous sinus vascular invasion in stage iii-iv npc, and its association with plasma epstein-barr virus (pebv) dna, disease stage, tumor volume and metabolic activity. eligible patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (mri), 18f-fluorodeoxyglucose (fdg)-positron-emission tomography (pet) and blood sa ... | 2008 | 18396444 |
| molecular epidemiology and divergence of hiv type 1 protease codon 35 inserted strains among treatment-naive patients in hong kong. | this study reported the prevalence and pattern of viral replication-associated hiv-1 protease codon 35 amino acid insertions among treatment-naive patients in hong kong. the transmission and divergence date of these inserted strains was also investigated. the pol gene of 264 local hiv-1 isolates was sequenced and phylogenetic analysis was performed. the transmission history of protease codon 35-inserted hiv-1 strains in hong kong was estimated by the bayesian coalescent method. this insertion wa ... | 2008 | 18426335 |
| association of a polymorphism in the lipin 1 gene with systolic blood pressure in men. | lipin 1 plays a role in abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and hypertriglyceridemia. the gene is located at 2p25.1, a susceptibility locus for hypertension. we studied the association of tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) in the lipin 1 (lpin1) gene with hypertension and blood pressure. | 2008 | 18437145 |
| macrobenthic communities in a sub-tropical man-made mudflat. | | 2008 | 18442834 |
| cross-sectional and longitudinal factors predicting influenza vaccination in hong kong chinese elderly aged 65 and above. | the study investigated cross-sectional predictors of ever-undergone influenza vaccination (iv) and longitudinal predictors of first-time iv among chinese elderly in hong kong. | 2008 | 18442855 |
| folkbiology meets microbiology: a study of conceptual and behavioral change. | health education can offer a valuable window onto conceptual and behavioral change. in study 1, we mapped out 3rd-grade chinese children's beliefs about causes of colds and flu and ways they can be prevented. we also explored older adults' beliefs as a possible source of the children's ideas. in study 2, we gave 3rd- and 4th-grade chinese children either a conventional cold/flu education program or an experimental "think biology" program that focused on a biological causal mechanism for cold/flu ... | 2008 | 18457822 |
| preliminary findings of a randomized trial of non-pharmaceutical interventions to prevent influenza transmission in households. | there are sparse data on whether non-pharmaceutical interventions can reduce the spread of influenza. we implemented a study of the feasibility and efficacy of face masks and hand hygiene to reduce influenza transmission among hong kong household members. | 2008 | 18461182 |
| implication of genetic variants near tcf7l2, slc30a8, hhex, cdkal1, cdkn2a/b, igf2bp2, and fto in type 2 diabetes and obesity in 6,719 asians. | recent genome-wide association studies have identified six novel genes for type 2 diabetes and obesity and confirmed tcf7l2 as the major type 2 diabetes gene to date in europeans. however, the implications of these genes in asians are unclear. | 2008 | 18469204 |
| the sars-associated stigma of sars victims in the post-sars era of hong kong. | this article explores the disease-associated stigma attached to the sars victims in the post-sars era of hong kong. i argue that the sars-associated stigma did not decrease over time. based on the ethnographic data obtained from 16 months of participant observation in a sars victims' self-help group and semistructured interviews, i argue that the sars-associated stigma was maintained, revived, and reconstructed by the biomedical encounters, government institutions, and public perception. i also ... | 2008 | 18503014 |
| against the odds or odds-on chance: pathways of coming back among hand-injured workers in the chinese context. | in this study, i used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach by means of thematic analysis to examine the lived experiences of hand-injured workers in hong kong. twenty-seven informants with moderate to severe disabilities were interviewed over ten years about how they lived through their disability and their discourses were examined in the cultural context. three categories (survivors, achievers, strugglers) were synthesized from the informants' life courses. each category was analyzed under t ... | 2008 | 18503025 |
| disaster preparedness among hong kong nurses. | this paper is a report of a survey to explore hong kong nurses' disaster preparedness. | 2008 | 18503654 |
| lrrk2 gly2385arg mutation and clinical features in a chinese population with early-onset parkinson's disease compared to late-onset patients. | the frequency of lrrk2 gly2385arg mutation in hong kong chinese with early-onset (age < or =45 years) parkinson's disease was identified and compared with late-onset patients (age >50 years) and controls. the mutation prevalence were 8.8, 8.3, and 0% for early-onset, late-onset, and controls, respectively. the mean age of onset among lrrk2 g2385r carriers was 42.7 years old for early-onset compared to 74.3 for late-onset patients. lrrk2 g2385r mutation appears to be as prevalent among early-onse ... | 2008 | 18523722 |
| warming earth could face new flu, disease threats. | | 2008 | 18541678 |
| evaluating narrative pedagogy in nursing education in hong kong. | this column provides a report of the effectiveness of a nursing program in hong kong that used narrative pedagogy. the comments of 12 recent graduates from a postgraduate baccalaureate nursing degree program who were willing to participate in a series of focus group meetings were included. the findings show that nursing education based on a human science paradigm helped form the professional nursing identity of the graduates, as they continued retelling, reliving, and reflecting on their caring ... | 2008 | 18544790 |
| novel astroviruses in insectivorous bats. | bats are increasingly recognized to harbor a wide range of viruses, and in most instances these viruses appear to establish long-term persistence in these animals. they are the reservoir of a number of human zoonotic diseases including nipah, ebola, and severe acute respiratory syndrome. we report the identification of novel groups of astroviruses in apparently healthy insectivorous bats found in hong kong, in particular, bats belonging to the genera miniopterus and myotis. astroviruses are impo ... | 2008 | 18550669 |
| extended parallel process model and h5n1 influenza virus. | this study integrated the extended parallel process model and forewarning cues to assess the promotion of preventive measures against the h5n1 influenza virus, a significant health threat that affects asia, europe, and the usa. there are two types of forewarning, (1) telling the audience that they will hear messages intended to persuade them and (2) telling the audience the topic and stance of the impending persuasive message. analysis of ratings by 265 undergraduates indicated that forewarnings ... | 2008 | 18567223 |
| emotional reactions of anger and shame to the norm violation characterizing episodes of interpersonal harm. | norms are the socially shared restraints by which human behaviour is regulated. when applied to events involving interpersonal harm, the perceived level of norm violation by a perpetrator will lead to a target's emotional reactions of both anger and shame, with such processes mediated by the target's judgments of his or her loss of face arising from the episode, the perpetrator's intent to harm, and the blame ascribed to the perpetrator. structural equation modelling (sem) confirmed this set of ... | 2009 | 18573225 |
| molecular epidemiology demonstrated three emerging clusters of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtype b infection in hong kong. | we conducted a molecular epidemiological study on newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (hiv-1)-infected patients in hong kong to identify the epidemiological linkage of hiv-1 infection in the locality. reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) for hiv-1 was performed on newly diagnosed hiv-1-positive sera collected from january 2002 to december 2006. pcr products correspond to the env c2v3v4 region and gag p17/p24 junction of the hiv-1 genome were nucleotide sequenc ... | 2008 | 18593342 |
| optimizing use of multistream influenza sentinel surveillance data. | we applied time-series methods to multivariate sentinel surveillance data recorded in hong kong during 1998-2007. our study demonstrates that simultaneous monitoring of multiple streams of influenza surveillance data can improve the accuracy and timeliness of alerts compared with monitoring of aggregate data or of any single stream alone. | 2008 | 18598647 |
| avian influenza and pandemic influenza preparedness in hong kong. | avian influenza a h5n1 continues to be a major threat to global public health as it is a likely candidate for the next influenza pandemic. to protect public health and avert potential disruption to the economy, the hong kong special administrative region government has committed substantial effort in preparedness for avian and pandemic influenza. public health infrastructures for emerging infectious diseases have been developed to enhance command, control and coordination of emergency response. ... | 2008 | 18618061 |
| identification of novel porcine and bovine parvoviruses closely related to human parvovirus 4. | human parvovirus 4 (parv4), a recently discovered parvovirus found exclusively in human plasma and liver tissue, was considered phylogenetically distinct from other parvoviruses. here, we report the discovery of two novel parvoviruses closely related to parv4, porcine hokovirus (phov) and bovine hokovirus (bhov), from porcine and bovine samples in hong kong. their nearly full-length sequences were also analysed. parv4-like viruses were detected by pcr among 44.4 % (148/333) of porcine samples (i ... | 2008 | 18632954 |
| ddt levels in human milk in hong kong, 2001-02. | high levels of p,p'-ddt were detected in hong kong breast milk sampled in 1976 and 1985. monitoring ddt levels in human breast milk in this region is important to identify trends in exposure. as part of the 2002-03 who/euro coordinated exposure study, the concentrations of ddt and its metabolites were determined in 10 pooled milk samples classified by geographic origin and dietary history, comprising milk samples from 238 primiparous mothers giving birth in hong kong. analysis was performed by g ... | 2008 | 18640700 |
| seasonality of influenza a(h3n2) virus: a hong kong perspective (1997-2006). | the underlying basis for the seasonality of influenza a viruses is still uncertain. phylogenetic studies investigated this phenomenon but have lacked sequences from more subtropical and tropical regions, particularly from southeast asia. | 2008 | 18648550 |
| quinolone resistance and correlation to other antimicrobial resistances in faecal isolates of escherichia coli in hong kong. | in an attempt to assess the level of quinolone resistance and its association with other antimicrobial resistance in faecal escherichia coli isolated from routine outpatient specimens in hong kong, ciprofloxacin-supplemented macconkey agar was used to screen for resistant isolates. antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the isolates was done by vitek 2 and previous amplification-based methods were employed to characterize the genetic determinants behind some of the resistance phenotypes. one hu ... | 2008 | 18667817 |
| [asia: avian influenza h5n1]. | the emergence of the first human cases of avian influenza in hong kong in 1997 has raised fears of a new pandemic originating from the asian continent. despite unprecedented international mobilization, first to stop then to limit its diffusion, the highly pathogenic avian virus a/h5n1 has successfully spread in asia, europe and africa by successive epizootic outbreaks affecting migratory birds and poultry, transmission from animals to humans is uncommon but severe with a fatality rate exceeding ... | 2008 | 18681218 |
| avian influenza a/h5n1 virus: management in human and bird. | | 2008 | 18685155 |
| risk factors associated with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection among attendees of public sexually transmitted infection clinics in hong kong: implications for hiv prevention. | to examine the risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) transmission among attendees of public sexually transmitted infection clinics in hong kong. | 2008 | 18685157 |
| twenty-seven students ill in suspected flu outbreaks in hong kong. | | 2008 | 18701043 |
| familial nasopharyngeal carcinoma in hong kong: epidemiology and implication in screening. | the pathogenetic mechanism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (npc) is still unclear. its familial aggregation, on the other hand, has been well documented by many epidemiological studies. the objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of familial npc in an endemic region. between march 1994 and november 2005, 1,202 consecutive patients were treated at our institution. patients were divided into 2 groups according to their family history: group 1 had at least one first-degree ... | 2009 | 18726711 |
| functional polymorphisms in the brca1 promoter influence transcription and are associated with decreased risk for breast cancer in chinese women. | the brca1 gene is an important breast-cancer susceptibility gene. promoter polymorphisms can alter the binding affinity of transcription factors, changing transcriptional activity and may affect susceptibility to disease. | 2009 | 18782836 |
| a case series of accidental ingestion of hand warmer. | the use of hand warmers in hong kong during cold weather has become increasingly popular. iron powder is one of the ingredients. we report the first cases of ingestion of hand warmer contents. care reports: four elderly patients ingested the contents of hand warmers. all had no or mild symptoms, one had radiopaque particles in the stomach, two showed transiently increased serum iron concentrations (within the reference range), and all recovered with only supportive care. | 2008 | 18787994 |
| perceptions related to bird-to-human avian influenza, influenza vaccination, and use of face mask. | h5n1 avian influenza may become pandemic in humans in the near future. according to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars) experience, anticipation of the pandemic may have impact on behaviors related to influenza vaccination (iv) and relevant public health behaviors such as wearing a face mask when having influenza-like-illnesses (ili), which would play an important role in the control of human avian influenza outbreaks. this paper investigated the prevalence and factors related to iv upt ... | 2008 | 18795229 |
| identification of an invasion and tumor-suppressing gene, endoglin (eng), silenced by both epigenetic inactivation and allelic loss in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. | endoglin (eng) has been identified as a candidate tumor-suppressor gene in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (escc). earlier microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (mmct) studies of chromosome 9 in escc narrowed down a tumor-suppressive critical region to 9q33-34. eng maps to 9q34-qter and encodes a transformation growth factor beta (tgfbeta) superfamily auxiliary receptor. this study aims to identify the potential role for eng in escc development. significant downregulation of eng was detected ... | 2008 | 18798555 |
| effects of school closures, 2008 winter influenza season, hong kong. | in winter 2008, kindergartens and primary schools in hong kong were closed for 2 weeks after media coverage indicated that 3 children had died, apparently from influenza. we examined prospective influenza surveillance data before, during, and after the closure. we did not find a substantial effect on community transmission. | 2008 | 18826841 |
| [study on characterization of the hemagglutinin gene of avian influenza virus h5n1 subtype originated from the pan pacific regions]. | to understand the gene characterization of hamagglutinin (ha) of aiv h5n1 subtype originated from the pan pacific regions in order to find out its mutation possibility. | 2008 | 18839532 |
| the first nocturnal home haemodialysis patient in hong kong. | we report our experience of the first use of nocturnal home haemodialysis in hong kong. the patient, a 40-year-old man with end-stage renal failure, was recruited into the nocturnal home haemodialysis programme at princess margaret hospital in 2006. he received haemodialysis at home on alternate nights (3.5 sessions per week) for 5.5 to 6 hours per session. after 1 year of nocturnal home haemodialysis, his recombinant human erythropoietin requirement had been reduced by more than 50%. his serum ... | 2008 | 18840912 |
| clinical and economic impact of an antibiotics stewardship programme in a regional hospital in hong kong. | inappropriate use of antibiotics is one of the important factors attributing to emergence of drug-resistant pathogens. infection with multidrug-resistant pathogens adversely affects quality of medical care. | 2008 | 18842981 |
| chinese older people in hong kong: health beliefs about influenza vaccination. | a health belief survey of 70 community-dwelling chinese older people was carried out in five general outpatient clinics in the kowloon east hospital cluster of hong kong. subjects were asked about their susceptibility to influenza, their perceptions of its severity, and benefits of and barriers to vaccination. beliefs in their own good health, the effectiveness of cultural measures adopted to prevent influenza and its curability may be among the reasons why those who decline the vaccination thou ... | 2008 | 18853548 |
| the genetic variability of mdr1 c3435t polymorphisms in four southern chinese populations. | to investigate the genetic variability of multiple drug resistant 1 (mdr1) gene c3435t polymorphism in four southern chinese populations. | 2009 | 18926661 |
| chinese widowers' self-perception of growth: an exploratory study. | presence of growth after traumatic events was introduced to the academic community about a decade ago (tedeschi & calhoun, 1995). from the conventionally neglected perspective of chinese widowers, this paper reports seventeen chinese widowers' views on growth after conjugal loss. findings seem to suggest that chinese widowers would define growth as human learning, a definition probably influenced by confucian teachings. furthermore, contrary to claims made by tedeschi and calhoun (2004), it was ... | 2007 | 18928081 |
| epidemiology of human papillomavirus infection and cervical cancer and future perspectives in hong kong, singapore and taiwan. | hong kong, singapore and taiwan are three island states that are newly emerged affluent economic areas in asia. the majority of the populations are ethnically chinese with a total population of 6.98, 4.5 and 23 million, respectively. cervical cancer has been declining over the last thirty years in all three states and is largely attributable to widespread opportunistic cervical cancer screening. the age-standardized incidence rates of cervical cancer are 9.6 per 100,000 women in hong kong in 200 ... | 2008 | 18945415 |
| identification of viral and atypical bacterial pathogens in children hospitalized with acute respiratory infections in hong kong by multiplex pcr assays. | acute respiratory tract infection is a leading cause of hospital admission of children. this study used a broad capture, rapid and sensitive method (multiplex pcr assay) to detect 20 different respiratory pathogens including influenza a subtypes h1, h3, and h5; influenza b; parainfluenza types 1, 2, 3, and 4; respiratory syncytial virus (rsv) groups a and b; adenoviruses; human rhinoviruses; enteroviruses; human metapneumoviruses; human coronaviruses oc43, 229e, and sars-cov; chlamydophila pneum ... | 2009 | 19031443 |
| melamine-tainted milk product (mtmp) renal stone outbreak in humans. | | 2008 | 19060339 |
| antiviral activities of extracts from hong kong seaweeds. | we extracted six hong kong brown seaweed species with hot water for their antiviral properties. the cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of these extracts were tested by mtt [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenlytetrezolium bromide] method, cytopathic effect reduction assay, and plaque reduction assay. the antiviral effect was further determined by flow cytometric analysis. the results showed that most of these extracts inhibited the propagation of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (hsv-1 an ... | 2008 | 19067465 |
| methicillin-resistant commensal staphylococci in healthy dogs as a potential zoonotic reservoir for community-acquired antibiotic resistance. | beta-lactam-resistant staphylococci evolved due to widespread nosocomial antibiotic use during the twentieth century, but the last decade has seen the emergence of genotypically distinct resistant bacteria outside hospitals, such as community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (ca-mrsa). this changing epidemiology suggests that mechanisms other than direct antibiotic selection could be involved in the spread of bacterial resistance. here we report a 17% prevalence of methicilli ... | 2009 | 19073283 |
| evaluation of loxl1 polymorphisms in primary open-angle glaucoma in southern and northern chinese. | the lysyl oxidase-like protein 1 (loxl1) gene is strongly associated with exfoliation glaucoma, which is very rare in the chinese population. the implicated loxl1 polymorphisms have not been associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (poag). in this study, we investigated three of the loxl1 polymorphisms in poag in a southern chinese population of hong kong and northern chinese from beijing. | 2008 | 19098994 |
| an experience on wheelchair bank management. | in this article, we described the wheelchair bank program at a local hospital and our experiences in managing the service over the past 10 years from 1996 to 2005. this article also reported statistical information related to the acquisitions of wheelchairs and adaptive components, including body support and pressure relief systems. the cost benefit of recycling seating and mobility equipments for use by children with neuromuscular diseases was revealed. with the reference of the reported data, ... | 2008 | 19117190 |
| effects of magnification methods and magnifier shapes on visual inspection. | this study investigated the effectiveness of the novel differential linear and differential nonlinear magnification methods, and the effects of magnifier shape and magnification power on visual search performance. with the differential magnification, objects that were more peripheral were scaled at a level higher than those in the vicinity of fixation. it was hypothesized that 1) owing to the ineffectiveness of scaling stimulus in the vicinity of fixation, the differential magnification methods ... | 2009 | 19121515 |
| concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in green-lipped mussel perna viridis from victoria harbour, hong kong and possible human health risk. | | 2009 | 19155024 |
| a qualitative study of patients' views on quality of primary care consultations in hong kong and comparison with the uk care measure. | patients' priorities and views on quality care are well-documented in western countries but there is a dearth of research in this area in the east. the aim of the present study was to explore chinese patients' views on quality of primary care consultations in hong kong and to compare these with the items in the care measure (a process measure of consultation quality widely used in the uk) in order to assess the potential utility of the care measure in a chinese population. | 2009 | 19173724 |
| sources of information and health beliefs related to sars and avian influenza among chinese communities in the united kingdom and the netherlands, compared to the general population in these countries. | ethnic minorities in europe such as the chinese may need a special strategy with regard to risk communication about emerging infectious diseases. to engage them in precautionary actions, it is important to know their information sources, knowledge, and health beliefs. | 2009 | 19184453 |
| preventing healthcare workers from acquiring influenza. | our survey of 133 on-duty medical ward nurses showed that, during peak influenza season, 30 (23%) developed an influenza-like illness, despite wearing a mask at work. suboptimal adherence to standard precautions, such as the use of a face shield (odds ratio, 3.56) during high-risk procedures, and failure to receive influenza vaccination (odds ratio, 4.82) were independent risk factors, adjusted for household contacts. | 2009 | 19193127 |
| chromosomal anomalies and y-microdeletions among chinese subfertile men in hong kong. | to report the type and frequency of chromosomal anomalies and y-microdeletions among hong kong chinese subfertile men with sperm concentrations lower than 5 million/ml. design. retrospective study. | 2009 | 19197094 |
| population differences in sle susceptibility genes: stat4 and blk, but not pxk, are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in hong kong chinese. | in this study, we compared the association of several newly discovered susceptibility genes for systemic lupus erythematosus (sle) between populations of european origin and two asian populations. using 910 sle patients and 1440 healthy controls from chinese living in hong kong, and 278 sle patients and 383 controls in thailand, we studied association of stat4, blk and pxk with the disease. our data confirmed association of stat4 (rs7574865, odds ratio (or) =1.71, p=3.55 x 10(-23)) and blk (rs13 ... | 2009 | 19225526 |
| a comparison of aluminum levels in tea products from hong kong markets and in varieties of tea plants from hong kong and india. | this study project aimed to investigate the concentrations of aluminum (al) in tea products available in hong kong markets. tea samples consisting of 47 different tea bags and 28 samples of tea leaves were analysed for concentrations of al. all tea samples released al (0.70-5.93 mg l(-1)) during a standard infusion period. in comparison to the joint fao/who provisional tolerable weekly intake guideline of 7 mg al kg(-1) body weight, it was concluded that tea made with these tea leaves will not i ... | 2009 | 19230955 |
| prenatal influenza exposure and delivery complications: implications for the development of schizophrenia. | this study assessed prenatal influenza exposure in relation to pregnancy complications and delivery complications. participants of this study consisted of a community sample of all mothers of 1,795 children who were a birth cohort recruited at age 3 in a prospective longitudinal project in mauritius. the onset of the 1968-1972 a2/hong kong influenza epidemic in january 1970 was established from officially published death rates and newspaper records. data on pregnancy and delivery complications w ... | 2007 | 19241651 |
| acceptability of human papillomavirus vaccination among chinese women: concerns and implications. | to explore chinese women's perceptions of human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccination and their intention to be vaccinated. | 2009 | 19250361 |
| environmental surveillance for laribacter hongkongensis, a diarrhoeal pathogen discovered in hong kong. | 1. laribacter hongkongensis was isolated from the midguts and hindguts of 86 (24%) of 360 freshwater fish from retail markets, including grass carp (60%), bighead carp (53%), mud carp (25%), and large-mouth bass (5%). 2. this study is the first to demonstrate the presence of l hongkongensis in natural water environments, with the bacterium being isolated from the waters of six reservoirs, with higher recovery rates in summer and during days of higher water and ambient temperatures. 3. molecular ... | 2009 | 19258631 |
| clinical and molecular epidemiology of human parainfluenza virus 4 infections in hong kong: subtype 4b as common as subtype 4a. | in this 1-year study, 35 (1.2%) of 2,912 nasopharyngeal aspirates were positive for human parainfluenza virus 4 (hpiv4) by reverse transcription-pcr. patients with hpiv4 infection were mainly young children and immunocompromised adults. in contrast to the reported predominance of hpiv4a infection, molecular subtyping revealed that 15 (44%) cases were caused by hpiv4b. | 2009 | 19261793 |
| duty to care. | the potential threat of a pandemic influenza outbreak has placed emergency preparedness in the health care spotlight. hospitals are increasingly gearing up readiness plans in preparation. most of these plans are related to the implementation of protocols and stockpiling of supplies, medications, and equipment. these plans are dependent on staff for implementation, but will nurses' duty to care for patients outweigh their competing obligations to their families and the risk of their own exposure? | 2009 | 19263924 |
| antiviral constituents against respiratory viruses from mikania micrantha. | phytochemical investigation of the dried aerial parts of mikania micrantha led to the isolation of a new sesquiterpene, 3beta-acetoxy-1,10-epoxy-4-germacrene-12,8;15,6-diolide (1), along with six known constituents: 1,10-epoxy-4-germacrene-12,8;15,6-diolide (2), dihydromikanolide (3), potassium mikanin 3-sulfate (4), mikanin (5), alpinetin (6), and ergosta-7,22-dien-3beta-ol (7). their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and the molecular structures and stereochemistry of sesqui ... | 2009 | 19267453 |
| estimation of the serial interval of influenza. | : estimates of the clinical-onset serial interval of human influenza infection (time between onset of symptoms in an index case and a secondary case) are used to inform public health policy and to construct mathematical models of influenza transmission. we estimate the serial interval of laboratory-confirmed influenza transmission in households. | 2009 | 19279492 |
| itgam is associated with disease susceptibility and renal nephritis of systemic lupus erythematosus in hong kong chinese and thai. | itgam was recently found to be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (sle) in populations of not only european ancestry, but also in hispanic- and african-americans, mexicans and colombians. the risk alleles in the gene, however, were found to be monomorphic in two asian populations examined: japanese and korean. in this study, using a collection of 910 sle patients and 2360 controls from chinese living in hong kong, analyzed by both genome-wide association and direct sequencing, we confi ... | 2009 | 19286673 |
| attitudes of chinese couples in hong kong regarding using preimplantation genetic diagnosis (pgd) and human leukocyte antigens (hla) typing to conceive a 'saviour child'. | to investigate hong kong couples' attitudes and concerns about using preimplantation genetic diagnosis (pgd) and human leukocyte antigens (hla) typing to conceive a disease-free and tissue-compatible 'saviour child (sc)' to save an afflicted sibling. | 2009 | 19294755 |
| medians and correction factors for biochemical and ultrasound markers in chinese women undergoing first-trimester screening for trisomy 21. | to establish normative values and distribution parameters of first-trimester maternal serum free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hcg), pregnancy-associated plasma protein-a (papp-a) and fetal nuchal translucency (nt) thickness in chinese women and to examine the effects of covariates on their levels. | 2009 | 19306471 |
| examination of seroprevalence of coronavirus hku1 infection with s protein-based elisa and neutralization assay against viral spike pseudotyped virus. | human coronavirus hku1 (hcov-hku1) is a recently identified coronavirus with a global distribution and known to cause mainly respiratory infections. | 2009 | 19342289 |
| association of bank1 and tnfsf4 with systemic lupus erythematosus in hong kong chinese. | systemic lupus erythematosus (sle) is a prototypic autoimmune disease with complex genetic inheritance. recently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) in bank1 and tnfsf4 have been shown to be associated with sle in caucasian populations, but it is not known whether they are also involved in the disease in other ethnic groups. recent data from our genome-wide association study (gwas) for 314 sle cases and 920 controls collected in hong kong identified snps in and around bank1 and tnfsf4 to be ... | 2009 | 19357697 |
| spatial working memory maintenance: does attention play a role? a visual search study. | recent studies have proposed that a common mechanism may underlie spatial attention and spatial working memory. one proposal is that spatial working memory is maintained by attention-based rehearsal [awh, e., jonides, j., & reuter-lorenz, p. a. (1998). rehearsal in spatial working memory. journal of experimental psychology: human perception and performance, 24(3), 780-790], and so a spatial attention shift during the retention interval of a spatial location should impair its memory performance. ... | 2009 | 19362280 |
| molecular epidemiology of hepatitis e virus in hong kong. | hepatitis e virus (hev) is one of the major causes of acute and self-limiting hepatitis in human. in hong kong, the number of notifications increased from 26 to 62 from year 2001 to 2007. this study describes the molecular epidemiology of hev in hong kong in order to determine the movement and distribution of hev. hev in 171 serum samples from hev igm positive cases from year 2001 to 2007 were amplified using rt-pcr and subjected to nucleotide sequencing. phylogenetic analysis showed 162 of 171 ... | 2009 | 19382265 |
| genotype distribution and sequence variation of hepatitis e virus, hong kong. | most acute cases of infection with hepatitis e virus (hev) in hong kong were autochthonous, sporadic, and occurred in older adults. all except 1 isolate belonged to genotype 4; most were phylogenetically related to swine isolates. the epidemiology is similar to that in industrialized countries, where zoonosis is the major source of hev infection in humans. | 2009 | 19402972 |
| the use of muscle burden in rabbitfish siganus oramin for monitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in victoria harbour, hong kong and potential human health risk. | muscle concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) were determined in rabbitfish siganus oramin collected from victoria harbour and its vicinity, hong kong from 2004 to 2007. spatially, relatively higher levels of [summation operator]pah (1.05-4.26 microg g(-1)) and [summation operator]pcb (45.1-76.9 ng g(-1)) were determined in the central and western sites inside the harbour. temporally, upward trend of [summation operator]pah, accompanied wit ... | 2009 | 19406454 |
| multilevel analysis of hiv related risk behaviors among heroin users in a low prevalence community. | injecting drug users (idu) are at increased risk of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection. their hiv prevalence however varies from place to place and may not be directly linked with the level of individual risk. this study explores the relative importance of individual and community level characteristics in the practice of hiv-related risk behaviors in idu in hong kong where the hiv prevalence has remained low at below 1%. | 2009 | 19435512 |
| media reporting of the emergence of the 1968 influenza pandemic in hong kong: implications for modern-day situational awareness. | we investigated local media reporting during the emergence of influenza a/hong kong/68 in hong kong to understand how indolent social awareness contributed to delays in warning of the pandemic. | 2009 | 19440155 |
| a study of the health and economic effects of influenza-like illness on the working population under different working environments of a large corporation in hong kong. | the incidence, health and economic impacts of influenza-like illness (ili) among the working population in hong kong had never been studied. due to the nature of the disease, ilis can have a significant impact on the operation of a corporation in terms of loss of productivity and reduced work performance. the present study was undertaken to determine the health and economic impacts of ilis under different environmental conditions on the working population of a large corporation. | 2008 | 19450073 |
| multidrug-resistant genotype (abcb1) and seizure recurrence in newly treated epilepsy: data from international pharmacogenetic cohorts. | the association between a specific polymorphism (3435c>t) in the abcb1 gene, coding for the membrane drug transporter p-glycoprotein (pgp), and pharmacoresistance to seizure control is controversial. studies have been limited by multiple drug use, chronic cohorts with varying definitions, and retrospective clinical data. herein we examine the relationship of this polymorphism with seizure recurrence in three independent international cohorts of patients newly treated for epilepsy. | 2009 | 19453704 |
| a review on human influenza a h5n1 infections in hong kong. | avian influenza a h5n1 remains the most threatening virus that may cause another devastating pandemic in the foreseeable future. in 1997, hong kong was the first place to detect human infections due to this virus originated from birds. the experience and lessons learnt provide important information for controlling further outbreaks caused by avian influenza viruses. | 2009 | 19471863 |
| confirmation of the first hong kong case of human infection by novel swine origin influenza a (h1n1) virus diagnosed using ultrarapid, real-time reverse transcriptase pcr. | | 2009 | 19474268 |
| implantation of a breathing pacemaker in a tetraplegic patient in hong kong. | a 38-year-old man had been tetraplegic and ventilator-dependent after sustaining a traumatic cervical spine fracture at the c1/c2 level in 1991, at the age of 22 years. he had been bedbound and mechanically ventilated since then. a multidisciplinary management team approached him in 2003 and helped him to become ambulatory and independent in his daily activities of living. we successfully implanted the diaphragm pacing stimulation system in this patient in 2004. diaphragm pacing by phrenic nerve ... | 2009 | 19494383 |
| distribution of human papillomavirus types in cervical cancers in hong kong: current situation and changes over the last decades. | human papillomavirus (hpv) type distribution among cervical cancers and its possible changes over time are key issues that determine the cost-effectiveness of hpv vaccines. cervical cancers diagnosed during 3 periods (1997-2007, n = 280; 1984-1986, n = 74; 1972-1973, n = 81) in hong kong were examined for hpv type distribution using sensitive broad-catching methods. the results showed a variation in hpv distribution between histological groups. among cervical squamous cell carcinoma (scc) cases ... | 2009 | 19507252 |
| occult respiratory viral infections in coronial autopsies: a pilot project. | | 2009 | 19509431 |
| hong kong enrolled nurses' perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care. | to explore hong kong nurses' perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care, and to investigate the relationship between their perceptions and their demographic characteristics. | 2008 | 19522951 |
| oseltamivir- and amantadine-resistant influenza viruses a (h1n1). | surveillance of amantadine and oseltamivir resistance among influenza viruses was begun in hong kong in 2006. in 2008, while both a/brisbane/59/2007-like and a/hong kong/2652/2006-like viruses (h1n1) were cocirculating, we detected amantadine and oseltamivir resistance among a/hong kong/2652/2006-like viruses (h1n1), caused by genetic reassortment or spontaneous mutation. | 2009 | 19523305 |
| risk assessment of pcdd/fs levels in human tissues related to major food items based on chemical analyses and micro-erod assay. | nine groups of food items (freshwater fish, marine fish, pork, chicken, chicken eggs, leafy, non-leafy vegetables, rice and flour) and three types of human samples (human milk, maternal serum and cord serum) were collected for the analysis of pcdd/fs. results of chemical analysis revealed pcdd/fs concentrations (pg g(-1) fat) in the following ascending order: pork (0.289 pg g(-1) fat), grass carp (ctenopharyngodon idellus) (freshwater fish) (0.407), golden thread (nemipterus virgatus) (marine fi ... | 2009 | 19535140 |
| jak2 v617f mutation is associated with 5q- syndrome in chinese. | jak2 v617f mutation is mostly seen in bcr-abli negative myeloproliferative neoplasms. among other myeloid neoplasms, it occurs with remarkably high frequency in refractory anemia with ring sideroblasts associated with marked thrombocytosis, a group of myeloid neoplasms with both dysplastic and proliferative features. it has also been reported in occasional cases of myelodysplastic syndrome with isolated del(5q), often with a diagnosis of refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia. we perfo ... | 2009 | 19562618 |
| jak2 v617f mutation in myeloid neoplasms with 3q21 and 3q26 abnormalities in chinese patients. | | 2009 | 19562620 |
| polymorphisms of the estrogen receptor alpha (esr1) gene and the risk of alzheimer's disease in a southern chinese community. | alzheimer's disease (ad) is a neurodegenerative disease with a higher prevalence in women. expression of estrogen receptor 1 (esr1) gene has been identified throughout the brain. owing to the putative neuroprotective effects of estrogen, estrogen receptor gene is a potential candidate modulating the development of ad. preliminary associations between two polymorphisms of esr1 (pvuii and xbai) gene and ad have been reported. | 2009 | 19586561 |
| widespread public misconception in the early phase of the h1n1 influenza epidemic. | to investigate the community responses and preparedness for a possible epidemic of h1n1 influenza in hong kong shortly after an imported case was confirmed. | 2009 | 19592114 |