Effectiveness of calcium acetate as a phosphate binder in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

We compared the effectiveness of calcium acetate as a phosphate binder with that of calcium carbonate by substituting one for the other in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Twenty patients who had been receiving calcium carbonate as a phosphate binder were instead given calcium acetate, initially with two thirds of the previous dose of elemental calcium. The calcium acetate dose was adjusted to achieve adequate calcium-phosphate balance; 65.6% of the previous dose of elemental calcium in calcium carbonate was required. Eighteen of the 20 patients completed the 3-month study. There were no significant differences in the pre-study and study levels of serum phosphate (1.81Ը?0.04 [SEM] versus 1.89Ը?0.06 mmol/L), corrected serum calcium (2.54Ը?0.04 versus 2.57Ը?0.03 mmol/L), calcium phosphate product (4.60Ը?0.15 versus 4.87Ը?0.18), serum alkaline phosphatase (64.75Ը?4.17 versus 69.94Ը?3.77 U/L), and serum parathyroid hormone (122Ը?31 versus 124Ը?27 ng/L). Three patients developed a total of five episodes of hypercalcaemia (corrected calcium level >/=2.85 mmol/L) and four other patients developed gastrointestinal upset. Calcium acetate can thus achieve similar phosphate control to calcium carbonate, using 65.6% of the dose of elemental calcium in calcium carbonate; however, its clinical superiority was not demonstrated in this study.published_or_final_versio

Interpreting DNA mixtures with relatives of a missing suspect

Recent advances in DNA profiling have been proven extremely useful for forensic human identification. DNA mixtures are commonly found in serious crimes such as rape as well as voluminous crimes like theft. In this paper, one general formula is obtained for the evaluation of DNA mixtures when the suspect is unavailable for typing, but one maternal and one paternal relatives of the suspect are typed instead. In principle, closer relatives of the suspect will provide more genetic information on the genotype of the unavailable suspect. The effect of the relatives' DNA profiles on the interpretation of DNA mixtures is illustrated with case example. © 2011 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe 1st International Conference on Remote Sensing, Environment and Transportation Engineering (RSETE 2011), Nanjing, China, 24-26 June 2011. In Proceedings of the 1st RSETE, 2011, p. 7649-765

Piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of PT/P(VDF-TrFE) 0-3 composites

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Pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties of lead titanate/polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene 0-3 composites

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Study of BNKLBT-1.5 lead-free ceramic/epoxy 1-3 composites

2007-2008 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Visible photoluminescence in ZnO tetrapod and multipod structures

The investigation of the properties of ZnO tetrapod and multipod structures using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence (PL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was discussed. The ZnO samples were fabricated by heating a mixture of ZnO, GeO2 and graphite at 1100°C in order to modify the morphology of the fabricated structures. The room temperature of PL was measured by using a HeCd laser excitation source (325 nm). It was found that the green PL was due to transition between a shallow donor and deep acceptor in the absence of g ≈ 1.96 EPR signal and transition between the conduction band and deep acceptor in the absence of g ≈ 1.96 EPR signal.published_or_final_versio

Optical properties of organic materials for optical communication devices

2005 International Symposium on Intelligent Signal Processing and Communication Systems (ISPACS 2005), Hong Kong, 13-16 December 2005Recently, organic materials have been considered as a potential candidate for making optoelectronic devices. In order to optimize the performance of the optoelectronic devices, the absolute refractive index and absorption coefficient of the organic materials have to be determined. In this article, the absolute optical properties of two novel bipolar organic materials will be investigated through ellipsometry and modeling using Lorentz Oscillator model and stimulated annealing algorithm. © 2005 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Degradation mechanism beyond device self-heating in high power light-emitting diodes

Author name used in this publication: K. C. Yung2010-2011 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Perception of urban park soundscape

2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Visual Field Compromised In Patients Suffering From Severe Menorrhagia

Purpose: To evaluate menorrhagia as a risk factor for compromised visual field Design: A cross-sectional cohort study Participants: 25 Menorrhagic patients and 23 non-menorrhagic female subjects Methods: Patients were recruited from the Obstetrics and Gynaecology clinic and divided into two groups. Those suffering from active menorrhagia were allocated into the disease group while those had never suffered from menorrhagia constituted the control group. All subjects completed a pictorial blood assessment chart (PBAC) to quantify the severity of their menorrhagia. All subjects then underwent an eye examination and investigations including visual field and optical coherent tomography. Main Outcome Measures: The mean PBAC was compared between the disease group and the control group. Correlation analysis was tested between PBAC and visual field global indices. Results: Subjects suffering from menorrhagia have a compromised performance in visual field when compared with subjects with no menorrhagia. A positive association was observed between the severity of menorrhagia and a poorer visual field performance. Conclusions: Menorrhagia may be a risk factor for visual field defects. Further research is encouraged to evaluate whether it may be a risk factor for glaucoma development or progression.published_or_final_versio