Dental health status of Hong Kong preschool children

Objectives. To describe the dental health status of preschool children in Hong Kong, and to investigate the e!ects of selected socio-demographic factors and oral health–related behaviors on the dental health of the children. Methods. The study population was Chinese preschool children. The sampling frame was kindergartens with an enrolment of 70 children or more, located on Hong Kong Island. Through strati'ed random sampling, 12 kindergartens were selected. All children attending grades 1 and 2 in the kindergartens were invited. Children with parental consent were clinically examined in the kindergartens in March 2007 by one of two calibrated examiners using a disposable mouth-mirror attached to an intraoral LED light and a ball-ended probe. Diagnostic criteria for dental caries followed those recommended by the World Health Organization. A questionnaire on the child’s socio-demographic background and oral health–related behaviors was completed by the parents. Results. A total of 1513 children were invited and 1343 (89%) were examined. Their mean (standard deviation) age was 3.9 (0.7) years and 51% were boys. Around one third (35%) of the children had experienced dental caries. The mean decayed, missing or 'lled teeth (dmft) score was 1.5, increasing from 1.2 at age 3 to 2.0 at age 5 (analysis of variance, P=0.016). Active decay (dt) accounted for 90% of the dmft score. Higher dmft scores were found in children who were born in Mainland China or came from lower socio-economic classes. Children who had poorer dietary or toothbrushing habits also had more dental caries. Conclusion. Prevalence of dental caries among the Hong Kong preschool children was not high but the severity of caries varied with the children’s socio-demographic background, and their dietary and toothbrushing habits.published_or_final_versio

Dental caries situation of Hong Kong kindergarten children

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Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide as a novel hypophysiotropic factor in fish

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a novel member of the secretin-glucagon peptide family. In mammals, this peptide has been located in a wide range of tissues and is involved in a variety of biological functions. In lower vertebrates, especially fish, increasing evidence suggests that PACAP may function as a hypophysiotropic factor regulating pituitary hormone secretion. PACAP has been identified in the brain-pituitary axis of representative fish species. The molecular structure of fish PACAP is highly homologous to mammalian PACAP. The prepro-PACAP in fish, however, is distinct from that of mammals as it also contains the sequence of fish GHRH. In teleosts, the anterior pituitary is under direct innervation of the hypothalamus and PACAP nerve fibers have been identified in the pars distalis. Using the goldfish as a fish model, mRNA transcripts of PACAP receptors, namely the PAC1 and VPAC1 receptors, have been identified in the pituitary as well as in various brain areas. Consistent with the pituitary expression of PACAP receptors, PACAP analogs are effective in stimulating growth hormone (GH) and gonadotropin (GTH)-II secretion in the goldfish both in vivo and in vitro. The GH-releasing action of PACAP is mediated via pituitary PAC1 receptors coupled to the adenylate cyclase-cAMP-protein kinase A and phospholipase C-IP3-protein kinase C pathways. Subsequent stimulation of Ca 2+ entry through voltage-sensitive Ca 2+ channels followed by activation of Ca 2+-calmodulin protein kinase II is likely the downstream mechanism mediating PACAP-stimulated GH release in goldfish. Although the PACAP receptor subtype(s) and the associated post-receptor signaling events responsible for PACAP-stimulated GTH-II release have not been characterized in goldfish, these findings support the hypothesis that PACAP is produced in the hypothalamus and delivered to the anterior pituitary to regulate GH and GTH-II release in fish.published_or_final_versio

Community assessment to advance computational prediction of cancer drug combinations in a pharmacogenomic screen

The effectiveness of most cancer targeted therapies is short-lived. Tumors often develop resistance that might be overcome with drug combinations. However, the number of possible combinations is vast, necessitating data-driven approaches to find optimal patient-specific treatments. Here we report AstraZeneca’s large drug combination dataset, consisting of 11,576 experiments from 910 combinations across 85 molecularly characterized cancer cell lines, and results of a DREAM Challenge to evaluate computational strategies for predicting synergistic drug pairs and biomarkers. 160 teams participated to provide a comprehensive methodological development and benchmarking. Winning methods incorporate prior knowledge of drug-target interactions. Synergy is predicted with an accuracy matching biological replicates for >60% of combinations. However, 20% of drug combinations are poorly predicted by all methods. Genomic rationale for synergy predictions are identified, including ADAM17 inhibitor antagonism when combined with PIK3CB/D inhibition contrasting to synergy when combined with other PI3K-pathway inhibitors in PIK3CA mutant cells.Peer reviewe

The impact of the integrative perceptual approach on the teaching of Chinese characters in a Hong Kong kindergarten

This study investigated the effectiveness of the integrative perceptual approach (IPA) to enhancing Hong Kong kindergarten children's Chinese character learning. The study applied the IPA to an experimental group of 29 lower form (K2) children. A group of 30 upper form children taught via traditional methods the year before, served as the control group. Quantitative data consisted of preand post-test scores, analysed using dependent and independent t-testing. It was found that the pupils in the experimental group had significantly improved their ability between pre- and post-testing in three aspects of Chinese character mastery: shape, sound and meaning recognition. The progress made was significantly superior to that made by control group counterparts. Qualitative data gathered through teacher and parent interviews indicated that the pupils in the experimental group displayed increased awareness of the composition of several components and structures of Chinese characters. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Score in the Palmore's Aging Quiz, knowledge of community resources and working preferences of undergraduate nursing students toward the elderly in Hong Kong

Health care professionals are the gate-keepers for elderly health information. Unfavorable attitude to the elderly posts an obstacle to health information delivery. Therefore, it is vital to identify the knowledge and attitude of nursing students toward working with the elderly. The present study aimed to examine the knowledge and working preferences toward the elderly among undergraduate nursing students in Hong Kong. Two hundred and sixty-nine students completed a questionnaire that incorporated 70 questions in the Palmore's Aging Quiz and 10 questions reflecting the knowledge on local community resources for the elderly. The results revealed that nursing students generally have a neutral to positive working preferences toward the elderly. 83% of them gained a mean Palmore's score of 40.90 out of 70 (SD = 5.02) and good knowledge of the community resources (mean score = 8.49, SD = 1.85). Those who disliked working with the elderly had a significantly lower mean Palmore's score (F = 7.73, p = 0.001). Though the level of study had a positive correlation with the knowledge of community resources, it did not increase with Palmore's score. Further research on the study results and more detail examination of geriatric education for nursing students to refine their attitude toward the elderly are recommended. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Mechanisms for gonadotropin-releasing hormone potentiation of growth hormone rebound following norepinephrine inhibition in goldfish pituitary cells

In the goldfish, norepinephrine (NE) inhibits growth hormone (GH) secretion through activation of pituitary α2-adrenergic receptors. Interestingly, a GH rebound is observed after NE withdrawal, which can be markedly enhanced by prior exposure to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Here we examined the mechanisms responsible for GnRH potentiation of this "postinhibition" GH rebound. In goldfish pituitary cells, α2-adrenergic stimulation suppressed both basal and GnRH-induced GH mRNA expression, suggesting that a rise in GH synthesis induced by GnRH did not contribute to its potentiating effect. Using a column perifusion approach, GnRH given during NE treatment consistently enhanced the GH rebound following NE withdrawal. This potentiating effect was mimicked by activation of PKC and adenylate cyclase (AC) but not by induction of Ca2+ entry through voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels (VSCC). Furthermore, GnRH-potentiated GH rebound could be alleviated by inactivation of PKC, removal of extracellular Ca2+, blockade of VSCC, and inhibition of Ca 2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). Inactivation of AC and PKA, however, was not effective in this regard. These results, as a whole, suggest that GnRH potentiation of GH rebound following NE inhibition is mediated by PKC coupled to Ca2+ entry through VSCC and subsequent activation of CaMKII. Apparently, the Ca2+-dependent cascades are involved in GH secretion during the rebound phase but are not essential for the initiation of GnRH potentiation. Since GnRH has been previously shown to have no effects on cAMP synthesis in goldfish pituitary cells, the involvement of cAMP-dependent mechanisms in GnRH potentiation is rather unlikely. Copyright © 2007 the American Physiological Society.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

香港幼兒語文教學現況調查

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