Suicide in Hong Kong: A case-control psychological autopsy study

Background. The relative contribution of psychosocial and clinical risk factors to suicide among Chinese populations is an important issue. In Hong Kong, this issue requires vigorous examination in light of a 50% increase in suicide rate between 1997 and 2003. Method. Using a case-control psychological autopsy method, 150 suicide deceased were compared with 150 living controls matched by age and gender. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the next-of-kin of the subjects. Data were collected on a wide range of potential risk and protective factors, including demographic, life event, clinical and psychological variables. The relative contribution of these factors towards suicide was examined in a multiple logistic regression model. Results. Six factors were found to significantly and independently contribute to suicide: unemployment, indebtedness, being single, social support, psychiatric illness, and history of past attempts. Conclusions. Both psychosocial and clinical factors are important in suicides in Hong Kong. They seem to have mediated suicide risk independently. In addition, socio-economic adversities seem to have played a relatively important role in the increasing suicide rate in Hong Kong. © 2006 Cambridge University Press.published_or_final_versio

Implementation and evaluation of podcasts as an educational tool in undergraduate nursing education

Session 7 - Simultaneous Sessions: 7CC. e-Posters: Mobile Learning: abstract 7CC/9Conference Theme: The Continuum of Education in the Healthcare ProfessionsBACKGROUND: In the past 20 years both educators and students have witnessed an explosion in the amount and variety of technology used in tertiary education. One of the technologies generating discussion and excitement among academics and students is the use of “podcasts” to supplement and enhance student learning. The purpose of this project was to develop podcasts of course materials and to assess the impact of podcasting on student learning. SUMMARY OF WORK: We created podcasts of all course lectures and made them available on-line to students. The lecture podcasts were divided into short 20-30 minute sections according to lecture topics. We evaluated students’ actual use of the technology, the impact on their learning, and their perceptions about the technology. SUMMARY OF RESULTS: 70.2% of all students accessed the podcasts to review specific parts of the lecture (92.9%), to clarify concepts not understood during the lecture (89.8%), to prepare for examinations (80.6%) and to make up for a missed lecture (63.2%). Podcasts enhanced students’ learning (84.5%) and the majority of students felt they should be made available for all courses (82.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Podcasting course lectures appears to enhance and augment didactic learning. TAKE-HOME MESSAGES: Creating podcasts of lectures and other course sessions may be a valuable tool for students for whom English is not their first language, as is currently the case in many nursing education programs worldwide.link_to_OA_fulltex

Young Chinese medical students adapt well to problem-based learning

Letters to the editorlink_to_subscribed_fulltex

To flee or not: Postkilling responses among intimate partner homicide offenders in Hong Kong

Among 112 homicides involving sexual intimates that occurred in Hong Kong between 1989 and 2002, 38% (n = 42) of offenders remained voluntarily at the homicide scene, 21% (n = 24) committed suicide, 20% (n = 22) escaped and denied involvement, 13% (n = 14) disposed or hid the body of their victim, and 9% (n = 10) escaped but later voluntarily surrendered. This study used police investigation reports, coroner's reports, witness statements, and other relevant documents to compare these five types of postkilling behavior. The type of response was explained by the offender's characteristics, the strength of attachment to the victim, and situational factors. The offender's prior criminal conduct or history of violence was not significant in predicting the type of postkilling response. © 2010 SAGE Publications.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

What Can We Do to Help and Understand Survivors of Suicide in Hong Kong?

Survivors of suicide or people bereaved by suicide are underresearched and underserviced. This report contains preliminary data, collected from a psychological autopsy study, which examines the characteristics of suicide survivors in Hong Kong. This paper considers the preliminary data currently available and attempts to suggest a way forward toward understanding and help for this underrecognized group of individuals in Hong Kong. © 2007 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Test and teach. Number ninety-five: Part 1

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Perceived level of knowledge and difficulty in applying family assessment among senior undergraduate nursing students

Because the structure, development, and functioning of a family plays an important role in health and illness, preparing nursing students to assess families in health care settings is of critical importance. A quasi-experimental design using a pre- and postcourse questionnaire was used to examine students' perceived knowledge about family assessment and perceived difficulty applying family assessment in the clinical setting. The Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) was taught in an elective nursing course, "Families in Health and Illness," offered at the University of Hong Kong. At the completion of the course, 46 senior baccalaureate nursing students showed a significant increase in their perceived understanding of all subcategories in CFAM compared with the control group of 43 senior baccalaureate nursing students who completed an elective nursing course in women's health. Teaching family nursing assessment in undergraduate programs may be useful in ensuring that nurses attend to families in practice. © The Author(s) 2010.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

An intelligent knowledge-based chatbot for customer service

202112 bcvcNot applicableOthersThe first author was supported in part by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University under a grant number ZVK9.Published24 month

The application and evaluation of advanced simulation for experiential learning in developing student’s critical thinking dispositions and skills

Oral Presentation - Education in clinical practice: O102The 3rd International Nurse Education Conference (NETNEP 2010). Sydney, Australia, 11-14 April 2010

Transforming capacity of two novel genes JS-1 and JS-2 located in chromosome 5p and their overexpression in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has a high mortality rate and geographic differences in incidence. Previous studies of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) showed that chromosomal 5p is frequently amplified in cell lines and primary ESCC of Hong Kong Chinese origin. In this report, attempt was made to study two novel genes, named as JS-1 and JS-2, which are located in chromosome 5p15.2 and are 5′ upstream to δ catenin for their roles in molecular pathogenesis of ESCC. Eleven cell lines, 27 primary ESCC cases and multiple human tissue cDNA panels (MTC) of digestive system were studied for the expression level of JS-1 and JS-2 by RT-PCR. The full-length cDNA sequences of JS-1 and JS-2 were determined from a non-tumor esophageal epithelial cell line by 3′ and 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The transforming capacity of JS-1 and JS-2 was also investigated by transfecting NIH 3T3 cells with the expression vector pcDNA3.1(-) cloned with the full coding sequences and it was followed by the study of foci formation of the transfected cells under confluence growth and the anchorage-independent growth in soft agar. Forty-five percent (5/11) and 18% (2/11) of the ESCC cell lines showed overexpression of JS-1 and JS-2 respectively, while 55% (15/27) and 14% (3/22) primary ESCC cases showed overexpression of JS-1 and JS-2 respectively. JS-1 overexpression was most common in patients with stage II ESCC (6/27; 22%) whereas JS-2 was only overexpressed in a dysplastic lesion (1/22; 4%) and stage III tumors (2/22; 9%). The expression levels of JS-1 and JS-2 are both low in normal esophageal tissues. Overexpression of JS-1 in NIH 3T3 cells caused foci formation in confluence growth and colony formation in soft agar but not for JS-2. A high grade sarcoma was formed in the athymic nude mice when NIH 3T3 cells overexpressing JS-1 were injected subcutaneously. Our results thus indicate that the frequent overexpression of JS-1 in ESCC and its transforming capacity in normal cells may play a critical role in the molecular pathogenesis of ESCC. The present study also forms the ground work for further identification of novel mechanisms of molecular carcinogenesis in ESCC and other cancers.link_to_subscribed_fulltex