Role of epac in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke

Poster Presentations: Theme 2published_or_final_version15th Research Postgraduate Symposium, Hong Kong, China, 1-2 December 2010. In Abstract - Poste Presentations (Theme II) of 15th Research Postgraduate Symposium, 2010, p. 8

Lacosamide adjunctive therapy for partial-onset seizures: a meta-analysis

Background. The relative efficacy and safety of lacosamide as adjunctive therapy compared to other antiepileptic drugs has not been well established.Objective. To determine if lacosamide provides improved efficacy and safety, reduced length of hospital stay and improved quality of life compared with other anti-epileptic therapies for adults with partial-onset seizures.Data Sources. A systematic review of the medical literature using Medline (1946–Week 4, 2012), EMBASE (1980–Week 3, 2012), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 1 of 12, January 2012). Additional studies were identified (through to February 7, 2012) by searching bibliographies, the FDA drug approval files, clinical trial registries and major national and international neurology meeting abstracts. No restrictions on publication status or language were applied.Study Selection. Randomized controlled trials of lacosamide in adults with partial-onset seizures were included.Data Extraction. Study selection, extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed independently by two authors. Authors of studies were contacted for missing data.Data Synthesis. All pooled analyses used the random effects model.Results. Three trials (1311 patients) met inclusion criteria. Lacosamide increased the 50% responder rate compared to placebo (RR 1.68 [95% CI 1.36 to 2.08]; I2 = 0%). Discontinuation due to adverse events was statistically significantly higher in the lacosamide arm (RR3.13 [95% CI 1.94 to 5.06]; I2 = 0%). Individual adverse events (ataxia, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea) were also significantly higher in the lacosamide group.Limitations. All dosage arms from the included studies were pooled to make a single pair-wise comparison to placebo. Selective reporting of outcomes was found in all of the included RCTs.Conclusions. Lacosamide as adjunctive therapy in patients with partial-onset seizures increases the 50% responder rate but with significantly more adverse events compared to the placebo

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

Exchange protein directly activated by cAMP 1 plays an important role in β3-adrenergic induction of UCP1 in WAT and thermogenesis via regulating lipolysis

Open Access JournalLate Breaking Abstracts: Session - Integrated Physiology/Obesity: no. 185-LBPharmaceutical enhancement of uncoupling protein1 (UCP1) and thermogenesis has drawn great interest to counteract obesity. Previously, the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP 1 (Epac1)-deficient mice showed less induction of beige cells with a significantly less UCP1 expression in white adipose tissue (WAT) and lower circulating free fatty acid (FFA) after chronic CL316,243 (a β3-adrenergic receptor agonist, CL, 1mg/kg/day for 10 days) administration, compared to that of wild type (wt) mice. To further study the role of Epac1 in β3-adrenergic induction of UCP1 and its function, energy expenditure and thermogenesis were determined. By indirect calorimetry, the Epac1-deficient mice showed slightly lower oxygen consumption from 9-16 hours after CL (1mg/kg) administration compared to that of wt mice. By using rectal thermometer, continuously lower rectal temperature within 30 min after the ninth dose of CL administration was observed in the Epac1-deficient mice relative to that of wt mice. These results suggest that in the absence of Epac1, increase of energy expenditure and thermogenesis induced by β3-adrenergic activation are compromised, which could be due to lower FFA and UCP1 induced by CL in the Epac1-deficent mice. To test whether the reduced FFA is due to compromised lipolysis, glycerol release from WAT explants was examined ex vivo. Interestingly, Epac1-deficient WAT explants showed impaired CL-stimulated glycerol release, indicating that absence of Epac1 diminishes β3-adrenergic receptor mediated lipolysis in WAT. In addition, Western blot showed that phosphorylation of hormone sensitive lipase at Ser660 by protein kinase A (PKA) was not different in Epac1-deficient WAT explants incubated with CL (10uM) for 10 min, compared to that of wt mice. Taken together, Epac1 plays an important role in β3-adrenergic induction of UCP1 in WAT and thermogenesis via mediating lipolysis independent of PKA.link_to_OA_fulltex

A newly-developed smart insole system with instant reminder : paves the way towards integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve balance and prevent falls

202205 bcfcAccepted ManuscriptOthersThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University Research StudentshipPublishe

The role of serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)

Poster Session 3 - Cytoplasmic Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressors: abstract no. 3998BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer which occurs in high frequency in Southern China. The identification of diagnostic and prognostic markers will be highly beneficial for early stage NPC detection. Previous microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT) studies showed that the transfer of an intact human chromosome 11 suppresses the in vivo tumor growth of a NPC cell line (HONE1) in nude mouse tumorigenicity assays. We aim to identify candidate genes which are associated with tumor suppression in NPC. METHODS: Differential expression analysis of 19K genes was performed in oligonucleotide microarray hybridization for the chromosome 11 microcell hybrids (MCHs)/ tumor segregants (TSs) pairs to hunt for some other unknown NPC genes. The gene expression of the candidate gene was examined in the NPC cell lines and tumor tissues. Functional analysis of restoration of the candidate gene expression was studied. RESULTS: Using oligonucleotide microarray analysis, Serum Amyloid A 1 (SAA1), mapping close to 11p15.1, was identified as showing consistent down-regulated expression in the TSs, as compared to their parental tumor-suppressing MCHs. Gene expression and protein analyses show that SAA1 was not expressed in the NPC HONE1 recipient cells, tumor segregants, and other NPC cell lines; SAA1 was exclusively expressed in the non-tumorigenic MCHs. The mechanism of SAA1 gene inactivation in these NPC cell lines was attributed to hypermethylation. The clinical relevance of SAA1 in NPC was examined by RT-PCR; 54.8% (23/42) of NPC specimens showed either down-regulation or loss of SAA1 gene expression. After transfection of SAA1 gene into HONE1 cells, a dramatic reduction of colony formation ability was observed. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that SAA1 is a candidate tumor suppressor gene in NPC.link_to_OA_fulltex

Is There a Program Model for Non-Chinese Speaking Children to Learn Chinese? - Hong Kong Experience

The Interaction of Keynote Speech and School Practices (主題演講與學校實踐互動)Conference Theme: Chinese learning in multicultural preschoolIn English speaking countries and regions, different program models are utilized for the teaching andlearning of English as a second language. Such models include pull-out models, immersion models,submersion models, etc. Different models provide different language learning environment andexperiences, based on their beliefs and understanding of language learning. In Hong Kong, non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students come from different ethnic backgrounds and seldom speak the samehome languages, making the language learning context a complex one. Thus, the program modelsestablished in other countries and regions may not apply.Our collaboration with over 20 kindergartens demonstrates that NCS children in Hong Kong learnChinese in different settings. Children in English speaking kindergartens often have regular Chineselessons and Chinese curriculum shall be developed in these schools, whereas in Chinese speakingkindergartens, pull-out programs or immersion programs are employed. The speech focuses onNCS children's language learning in Chinese speaking kindergartens, and invites teachers from twokindergartens to share their school-based experiences. On one hand, we found that NCS childrenhave different learning performances and teaching strategies need to be adjusted in differentprogram models. On the other hand, interactions among different models (pull-out & immersion) canprovide varied contexts for NCS children to learn Chinese. Preliminary results suggest that teachers'professional development and NCS children's Chinese learning have been elevated through thecarefully planned teaching and learning experiences