在建築地盤的熱應力和熱環境之研究

Heat stress is a recognized hazard for construction workers. To ensure safety and health of the workers, it is important to study the heat stress and thermal environment in construction sites, and develop practical solutions to avoid adverse health effects and accidents. In typical construction sites, the employees have to work long hours in thermally stressful environments, and with heavy physical workload, especially during summer time. As a result, they are at high risk and this may pose special hazards of heat stress. This research examines different kinds of heat stress indices and standards in the world. The result indicates that wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is a major factor affecting the level of heat stress because the rate of evaporation from human body is limited when WBGT increases. It is also found that some indexes provide little common agreement for the exposure limit and time; some can only be used for preliminary heat stress evaluation. In general, metabolic rate is the most difficult part to estimate in the heat stress equation for construction workers. It is concluded that engineering and administration method is the most effective way to control heat stress. Moreover, training and education for the employees are critical preventing accidents in construction sites.postprintThe Hunan-Hong Kong Joint Symposium 2011, Changsha, Hunan, China, 1-2 July 2011. In Proceedings of the Hunan-Hong Kong Joint Symposium, 2011, p. 52-612011湘港建築設備工程技術交流會, 中國, 湖南, 長沙, 2011年7月1日至2日. 會議記錄, 2011, p. 52-6

Stridor in Asian infants: assessment and treatment

Stridor is the main symptomof upper airway obstruction in infants. It can be congenital or acquired, acute or chronic. Pathologies can be located from the nose down to the trachea. Common causes include laryngomalacia, vocal cord palsy, subglottic stenosis, tracheal anomaly, laryngeal cleft, vascular and lymphatic malformation, laryngeal papillomas, craniofacial abnormalities and even head and neck tumours. In this paper, we will discuss our approach to infants with stridor including assessment with flexible and rigid endoscopy and treatments to various conditions in a tertiary centre. Causes of stridor in infants undergoing rigid laryngotracheobronchoscopy in Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong Medical Centre between 2005 and 2011 will be retrospectively reviewed. Treatments according to various conditions will be discussed. Successful management of these neonates requires accurate diagnosis, early intervention, and multidisciplinary care by ENT surgeons, paediatricians, and paediatric anaesthetists.published_or_final_versio

A plasmonic nanosensor with inverse sensitivity for circulating cell-free DNA quantification

A plasmonic nanosensor (using gold nanorods) with inverse sensitivity is presented for circulating cell-free DNA quantification. The inverse sensitivity (i.e. the lower the analyte concentration, the higher the response intensity) is achieved by the unusual DNA concentration-dependent gold nanorod aggregation. This assay method can adjust the dynamic range by controlling the concentration of nanoparticles in solution. Graphical abstract: A plasmonic nanosensor with inverse sensitivity for circulating cell-free DNA quantificatio

Relationship between cognitive function and symptomology with self-stigma in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders

E-PosterBACKGROUND: Self-stigma can be understood as a process of an individual gaining awareness of the associated stereotypes, agreeing with them and thus applying them to oneself [1]. This suggests the involvement of complex cognitive processes behind the development of self-stigma. Previous studies have also suggested that clinical symptoms are related to both cognitive function and self-stigma [2,3]. The current study examined the relationship of cognitive functions, clinical symptoms and self-stigma ...published_or_final_versio

The Role of Dairy Products and Milk in Adolescent Obesity: Evidence from Hong Kong's "Children of 1997" Birth Cohort

Background: Observational studies, mainly from Western populations, suggest dairy consumption is inversely associated with adiposity. However, in these populations the intake range is limited and both diet and obesity may share social patterning. Evidence from non-Western developed settings with different social patterning, is valuable in distinguishing whether observed associations are biologically mediated or socially confounded. Objective: To examine the associations of milk or other dairy product consumption with adolescent obesity. Methods: We used multivariable linear regression models to examine the associations of milk or other dairy product consumption, obtained from a food frequency questionnaire, at 11 years with body mass index (BMI) z-scores at 13 years and waist hip ratio (WHR) at 11 years, in 5,968 adolescents from a Chinese birth cohort, comprising 88% of births in April and May 1997. We used multiple imputation for missing exposures and confounders. Results: Only 65.7% regularly consumed milk and 72.4% other dairy products. Milk and other dairy product consumption was positively associated with socio-economic position but not with BMI z-score or WHR, with or without adjustment for sex, mother's birthplace, parental education, physical activity and other food consumption. Conclusions: The lack of association of milk and other dairy product consumption with adiposity in a non-Western setting was not consistent with the majority of evidence from Western settings. Observed anti-obesigenic effects in Western settings may be due to socially patterned confounding. © 2012 Lin et al.published_or_final_versio

Targeting GRB7/ERK/FOXM1 Signaling Pathway Impairs Aggressiveness of Ovarian Cancer Cells

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Physical activity and fitness in women with metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore differences in physical activity and fitness between women with metastatic breast cancer compared to healthy controls and factors associated with their physical activity levels. METHODS: Seventy-one women with metastatic breast cancer, aged (mean (SD)) 57.7 (9.5) and 2.9 (3.1) years after the onset of metastatic disease, and 71 healthy controls aged 55.0 (9.4) years participated. Of those with metastatic disease, 27% had bone-only metastases, 35% visceral-only metastases and 38% bone and visceral metastases. Patient-reported outcomes and physical measures of muscle strength and aerobic fitness assessments were obtained. Participants wore a SenseWear® physical activity monitor over 7 days, and the average steps/day and the time spent in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity were determined. RESULTS: Women with metastases were significantly (i) less aerobically fit than the control group (25.3 (5.4) vs. 31.9 (6.1) mL • kg(-1) • min(-1); P < 0.001); (ii) weaker (e.g. lower limb strength for the metastatic and control groups was 53.5 (23.7) vs. 76.0 (27.4) kg, respectively; P < 0.001); (iii) less active, with the metastatic group attaining only 56% of the mean daily step counts of the healthy women; and (iv) more symptomatic, reporting higher levels of fatigue and dyspnoea (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Women living in the community with metastatic breast cancer possessed lower aerobic fitness, reduced muscular strength and less daily physical activity compared to healthy counterparts. They also experienced poorer functioning and higher symptom burden. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Women living with metastatic breast cancer may benefit from a physical activity programme to address their physical impairments

Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin b down-regulates the expression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling transducers in human glioblastoma

Background: It has been revealed that Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB) may feature anti-cancer and anti-metastatic advantages due to its ability to modify cell immunity processes and signaling pathways. Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive human cancers; it has a high mortality nature, which makes it an attractive area for the development of novel therapies. Objectives: We examined whether the SEB could exert its growth inhibitory effects on glioblastoma cells partially through the manipulation of a key tumor growth factor termed transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). Materials and Methods: A human primary glioblastoma cell line, U87, was treated with different concentrations of SEB. The cell quantity was measured by the MTT assay at different exposure times. For molecular assessments, total ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted from either non-treated or SEB-treated cells. Subsequently, the gene expression of TGF-β transducers, smad2/3, at the messenger RNA (mRNA) level, was analyzed via a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using the SYBR Green method. Significant differences between cell viability and gene expression levels were determined (Prism 5.0 software) using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Results: We reported that SEB could effectively down-regulate smad2/3 expression in glioblastoma cells at concentrations as quantity as 1 µg/mL and 2 µg/mL (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). The SEB concentrations effective at regulating smad2/3 expression were correlated with those used to inhibit the proliferation of glioblastoma cells. Our results also showed that SEB was able to decrease smad2/3 expression at the mRNA level in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Conclusions: We suggested that SEB could represent an agent that can significantly decrease smad2/3 expression in glioblastoma cells, leading to moderate TGF-β growth signaling and the reduction of tumor cell proliferation. © 2016, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

A Nonaqueous Approach to the Preparation of Iron Phosphide Nanowires

Previous preparation of iron phosphide nanowires usually employed toxic and unstable iron carbonyl compounds as precursor. In this study, we demonstrate that iron phosphide nanowires can be synthesized via a facile nonaqueous chemical route that utilizes a commonly available iron precursor, iron (III) acetylacetonate. In the synthesis, trioctylphosphine (TOP) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) have been used as surfactants, and oleylamine has been used as solvent. The crystalline structure and morphology of the as-synthesized products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The obtained iron phosphide nanowires have a typical width of ~16 nm and a length of several hundred nanometers. Structural and compositional characterization reveals a hexagonal Fe2P crystalline phase. The morphology of as-synthesized products is greatly influenced by the ratio of TOP/TOPO. The presence of TOPO has been found to be essential for the growth of high-quality iron phosphide nanowires. Magnetic measurements reveal ferromagnetic characteristics, and hysteresis behaviors below the blocking temperature have been observed

Nose profile morphology and accuracy study of nose profile estimation method in Scottish subadult and Indonesian adult populations

This study investigated nose profile morphology and its relationship to the skull in Scottish subadult and Indonesian adult populations, with the aim of improving the accuracy of forensic craniofacial reconstruction. Samples of 86 lateral head cephalograms from Dundee Dental School (mean age, 11.8 years) and 335 lateral head cephalograms from the Universitas Padjadjaran Dental Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia (mean age 24.2 years), were measured. The method of nose profile estimation based on skull morphology previously proposed by Rynn and colleagues in 2010 (FSMP 6:20–34) was tested in this study. Following this method, three nasal aperture-related craniometrics and six nose profile dimensions were measured from the cephalograms. To assess the accuracy of the method, six nose profile dimensions were estimated from the three craniometric parameters using the published method and then compared to the actual nose profile dimensions. In the Scottish subadult population, no sexual dimorphism was evident in the measured dimensions. In contrast, sexual dimorphism of the Indonesian adult population was evident in all craniometric and nose profile dimensions; notably, males exhibited statistically significant larger values than females. The published method by Rynn and colleagues (FSMP 6:20–34, 2010) performed better in the Scottish subadult population (mean difference of maximum, 2.35 mm) compared to the Indonesian adult population (mean difference of maximum, 5.42 mm in males and 4.89 mm in females). In addition, regression formulae were derived to estimate nose profile dimensions based on the craniometric measurements for the Indonesian adult population. The published method is not sufficiently accurate for use on the Indonesian population, so the derived method should be used. The accuracy of the published method by Rynn and colleagues (FSMP 6:20–34, 2010) was sufficiently reliable to be applied in Scottish subadult population