Examining consumers’ adoption of wearable healthcare technology: The role of health attributes

With the advancement of information technology, wearable healthcare technology has emerged as one of the promising technologies to improve the wellbeing of individuals. However, the adoption of wearable healthcare technology has lagged when compared to other well-established durable technology products, such as smartphones and tablets, because of the inadequate knowledge of the antecedents of adoption intention. The aim of this paper is to address an identified gap in the literature by empirically testing a theoretical model for examining the impact of consumers’ health beliefs, health information accuracy, and the privacy protection of wearable healthcare technology on perceived usefulness. Importantly, this study also examines the influences of perceived usefulness, consumer innovativeness, and reference group influence on the adoption intention of wearable healthcare technology. The model seeks to enhance understanding of the influential factors in adopting wearable healthcare technology. Finally, suggestions for future research for the empirical investigation of the model are provided

Poverty alleviation policies and action in Hong Kong : an analysis of public engagement strategies

published_or_final_versionPolitics and Public AdministrationMasterMaster of Public Administratio

Repurposing hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels as a novel therapy for breast cancer.

Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels are members of the voltage-gated cation channel family known to be expressed in the heart and central nervous system. Ivabradine, a small molecule HCN channel-blocker, is FDA-approved for clinical use as a heart rate-reducing agent. We found that HCN2 and HCN3 are overexpressed in breast cancer cells compared with normal breast epithelia, and the high expression of HCN2 and HCN3 is associated with poorer survival in breast cancer patients. Inhibition of HCN by Ivabradine or by RNAi, aborted breast cancer cell proliferation in vitro and suppressed tumour growth in patient-derived tumour xenograft models established from triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tissues, with no evident side-effects on the mice. Transcriptome-wide analysis showed enrichment for cholesterol metabolism and biosynthesis as well as lipid metabolism pathways associated with ER-stress following Ivabradine treatment. Mechanistic studies confirmed that HCN inhibition leads to ER-stress, in part due to disturbed Ca2+ homeostasis, which subsequently triggered the apoptosis cascade. More importantly, we investigated the synergistic effect of Ivabradine and paclitaxel on TNBC and confirmed that both drugs acted synergistically in vitro through ER-stress to amplify signals for caspase activation. Combination therapy could suppress tumour growth of xenografts at much lower doses for both drugs. In summary, our study identified a new molecular target with potential for being developed into targeted therapy, providing scientific grounds for initiating clinical trials for a new treatment regimen of combining HCN inhibition with chemotherapy

Distribution and inter-regional relationship of amyloid-beta plaque deposition in a 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Although previous studies have selectively investigated the localization of amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition in certain brain regions, a comprehensive characterization of the rostro-caudal distribution of Aβ plaques in the brain and their inter-regional correlation remain unexplored. Our results demonstrated remarkable working and spatial memory deficits in 9-month-old 5xFAD mice compared to wildtype mice. High Aβ plaque load was detected in the somatosensory cortex, piriform cortex, thalamus, and dorsal/ventral hippocampus; moderate levels of Aβ plaques were observed in the motor cortex, orbital cortex, visual cortex, and retrosplenial dysgranular cortex; and low levels of Aβ plaques were located in the amygdala, and the cerebellum; but no Aβ plaques were found in the hypothalamus, raphe nuclei, vestibular nucleus, and cuneate nucleus. Interestingly, the deposition of Aβ plaques was positively associated with brain inter-regions including the prefrontal cortex, somatosensory cortex, medial amygdala, thalamus, and the hippocampus. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive morphological profile of Aβ deposition in the brain and its inter-regional correlation. This suggests an association between Aβ plaque deposition and specific brain regions in AD pathogenesis

Renal cell carcinoma of native kidney in Chinese renal transplant recipients: a report of 12 cases and a review of the literature

Objectives To present and discuss the epidemiological and clinical aspects, as well as therapeutic options and outcome of de novo renal cell carcinoma (RCC) of the native kidneys in a series of Chinese renal transplant recipients. Patients and Methods A retrospective, cohort study examining all renal transplant recipients with the diagnosis of RCC of native kidney followed up in two major regional hospitals in Hong Kong between January 2000 and December 2009. Clinical data includedage, gender, cause of renal failure, symptoms at presentation, duration of transplantation, immunosuppressive therapy, and history of acquired cystic kidney disease (ACKD). Laboratory, radiographic, operative, and pathology reports were used to assess the tumor extent. Results Among the 1,003 renal transplant recipients recruited, 12 transplant recipients had a nephrectomy for a total of 13 RCC. The prevalence of de novo RCC was 1.3%. The mean age at diagnosis of RCC was 48.4 years, and the median time from transplantation to diagnosis was 6.1 years. ACKD was found in 6 (50%) of the patients. All patients except one were asymptomatic. pT1 disease was found in ten patients with a mean tumor size of 3.2 cm. All patients were treated successfully with radical nephrectomy. After a median follow-up of 38 months, two patients (16.7%) died. One died of sepsis, and the other died of metastatic carcinoma. Conclusions With increasing data showing a better prognosis if RCC is detected early by screening, it is time to consider screening all kidney transplant recipients for ACKD and RCC. © The Author(s) 2011. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com.published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Search for heavy resonances decaying into a W or Z boson and a Higgs boson in final states with leptons and b-jets in 36 fb(-1) of root s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search is conducted for new resonances decaying into a W or Z boson and a 125 GeV Higgs boson in the νν¯¯¯bb¯¯, ℓ±νbb¯¯, and ℓ+ℓ−bb¯¯ final states, where ℓ± = e± or μ±, in pp collisions at s√=13 TeV. The data used correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1 collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during the 2015 and 2016 data-taking periods. The search is conducted by examining the reconstructed invariant or transverse mass distributions of W h and Zh candidates for evidence of a localised excess in the mass range of 220 GeV up to 5 TeV. No significant excess is observed and the results are interpreted in terms of constraints on the production cross-section times branching fraction of heavy W ′ and Z′ resonances in heavy-vector-triplet models and the CP-odd scalar boson A in two-Higgs-doublet models. Upper limits are placed at the 95% confidence level and range between 9.0 × 10−4 pb and 7.3 × 10−1 pb depending on the model and mass of the resonance

NGS identifies TAZ mutation in a family with X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy

We reported a family with two male siblings affected with infantile dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Extensive evaluation failed to identify the underlying cause for the DCM. Next generation sequencing (NGS) with targeted enrichment identified a hemizygous variant c.718G>C (p.Gly240Arg) in the TAZ gene. This variant has been reported in three other families with X linked infantile DCM and is therefore likely pathogenic. NGS allows efficient screening of a large number of uncommon genes in complex disorders like DCM, in which there is substantial genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. The identification of TAZ mutation has major impact on their medical care as the surveillance needs to be expanded to cover for the Barth syndrome, a severe metabolic phenotype also caused by TAZ mutation, in addition to DCM

Prevention of recurrent central venous stenosis using endovascular irradiation following stent placement in hemodialysis patients

This study was done to evaluate the outcome after brachytherapy (BT) given to prevent restenosis after stent insertion for central venous stenosis in patients with ipsilateral hemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas (AVF). Angioplasty and stenting were performed on 9 primary central venous stenoses in 8 patients with AVF followed by BT, delivering Iridium-192 radiation using an afterloading technique. BT was also administered to three patients with five recurrent stenoses at the stent margins. There was no residual stenosis after angioplasty and stenting. Venographic follow-up (77-644 days, mean 272 days) showed no restenosis in seven primary stenoses. New strictures (45%-100%) developed at the stent margin in six veins (five patients). Angioplasty or stenting was performed for five margin stenoses in three patients, followed by a second BT. Residual stenosis before BT was 0-30%. In our venographic follow-up (140-329 days, mean 215 days), three restenoses occurred (35%-100%). All progressed to complete occlusion on later venographic follow-up irrespective of whether BT was given to the stent margin or not. The mean primary and assisted primary patency of the central veins were 359 days and 639 days, respectively. Endovascular irradiation with a noncentering source does not prolong the patency after angioplasty and stenting of central venous stenosis in hemodialysis patients.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Quantitative comparison of the efficiency of antibodies against S1 and S2 subunit of SARS coronavirus spike protein in virus neutralization and blocking of receptor binding: Implications for the functional roles of S2 subunit

AbstractNeutralizing effects of antibodies targeting the C-terminal stalk (S2) subunit of the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus have previously been reported, although its mechanism remained elusive. In this study, high titered mouse antisera against the N-terminal globular (S1) and S2 subunits of the S protein were generated and total immunoglobulin G (IgG) was purified from these antisera. The efficiency of these purified IgGs in virus neutralization and blocking of receptor binding were compared quantitatively using virus neutralization assay and a previously developed cell-based receptor binding assay, respectively. We demonstrated that anti-S1 IgG neutralizes the virus and binds to the membrane associated S protein more efficiently than anti-S2 IgG does. Moreover, both anti-S1 and anti-S2 IgGs were able to abolish the binding between S protein and its cellular receptor(s), although anti-S1 IgG showed a significantly higher blocking efficiency. The unexpected blocking ability of anti-S2 IgG towards the receptor binding implied a possible role of the S2 subunit in virus docking process and argues against the current hypothesis of viral entry. On the other hand, the functional roles of the previously reported neutralizing epitopes within S2 subunit were investigated using an antigen specific antibody depletion assay. Depletion of antibodies against these regions significantly diminished, though not completely abolished, the neutralizing effects of anti-S2 IgG. It suggests the absence of a major neutralizing domain on S2 protein. The possible ways of anti-S2 IgGs to abolish the receptor binding and the factors restricting anti-S2 IgGs to neutralize the virus are discussed