The effect of visual stimulation via the eyeglass display and the perception of pain

Hospitalization involves anxiety and pain for many people. Unfamiliar hospital settings, various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and the sight and sounds of medical procedures exacerbate pain and anxiety. By blocking off the anxiety-inducing sights and sounds of the hospital surroundings and creating a pleasant environment, an eyeglass display might be able to change the sensation and perception of pain. In this randomized, controlled, crossover study, 72 healthy university student volunteers were asked to wear a light-weight eyeglass that projected a feeling of watching a 52-inch television screen at 6 1/2 feet in distance while pain was produced by a modified tourniquet technique. Subjects were randomly assigned to participate in a V-session or B-session first, with subsequent cross-over. In a V-session, subjects were instructed to wear the eyeglass and watch the soundless display of natural scenery during the inflation. In a B-session, the eyeglass that subjects wore would project a static blank screen. During V-sessions, there was a significant increase in pain threshold (p < 0.001) and pain tolerance (p < 0.001). The degree of immersion was positively correlated with improvement in pain threshold, whereas the anxiety level was negatively correlated with improvement in pain threshold. These findings have implications for using visual stimulation as a positive adjunct to other methods of pain relief and for different pain conditions. This study was considered to be the pioneer use of visual stimulation in the local Chinese community as an adjunct to pain relief.published_or_final_versio

Acute ischaemic stroke during short-term travel to high altitude

This is a case report of a young healthy adult who had acute cerebral infarcts after a short-term visit to high-altitude area. He developed acute onset of right-sided limb weakness and right hemianopia a few hours after arrival at an altitude of 3600 m by train. He was initially treated for high-altitude cerebral oedema but later computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed ischaemic infarcts in the medial left occipital lobe and left thalamus. Subsequent investigations, including laboratory tests and imaging including an echocardiogram, revealed no culpable predisposing factors.published_or_final_versio

Precipitation of PEG/Carboxyl-modified gold nanoparticles with magnesium pyrophosphate : a new platform for real-time monitoring of loop-mediated isothermal amplification

2016-2017 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journal201804_a bcmaVersion of RecordRGCOthersRGC: 501413Others: PGMS Project IDs: P0009500 and P0009150Publishe

Preventive Treatment with Ketamine attenuates the ischaemia-reperfusion response in a chronic postichaemia pain model

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Comparative cardiovascular risk in users versus non-users of xanthine oxidase inhibitors and febuxostat versus allopurinol users

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality comparing between xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOIs) and non-XOI users, and between allopurinol and febuxostat. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of gout patients prescribed anti-hyperuricemic medications between 2013 and 2017 using a territory-wide administrative database. XOI users were matched 1:1 to XOI non-users using propensity scores. Febuxostat users were matched 1:3 to allopurinol users. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on colchicine use. RESULTS: Of the 13 997 eligible participants, 3607 (25.8%) were XOI users and 10 390 (74.2%) were XOI non-users. After propensity score matching, compared with non-users (n = 3607), XOI users (n = 3607) showed similar incidence of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.997, 95% CI, 0.879, 1.131; P>0.05) and all-cause mortality (HR = 0.972, 95% CI 0.886, 1.065, P=0.539). Febuxostat (n = 276) users showed a similar risk of MACE compared with allopurinol users (n = 828; HR: 0.672, 95% CI, 0.416, 1.085; P=0.104) with a tendency towards a lower risk of heart failure-related hospitalizations (HR = 0.529, 95% CI 0.272, 1.029; P=0.061). Concurrent colchicine use reduced the risk for all-cause mortality amongst XOI users (HR = 0.671, 95% 0.586, 0.768; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: In gout patients, XOI users showed similar risk of MACE and all-cause mortality compared with non-users. Compared with allopurinol users, febuxostat users showed similar MACE and all-cause mortality risks but lower heart failure-related hospitalizations

Peri-tumoural magnetic resonance spectroscopy to differentiate solitary primary intra-axial high-grade glioma and brain metastasis: A pilot study

Objective: To determine whether the peri-tumoural choline/N-acetyl- aspartate ratio can be used to differentiate solitary primary intra-axial brain tumour and metatasis. Methods: In this retrospective study, 18 treatment-naïve adults presenting with a solitary intra-axial mass underwent conventional contrast-enhanced and proton spectroscopic magnetic resonance imaging. The images were interpreted retrospectively by an experienced neuroradiologist and a radiology fellow with 6 years' experience. The radiologists were blinded to the clinicopathological and demographic data. The choline/N-acetyl-aspartate ratio was measured over the area of peri-tumoural oedema, which was defined by T2 hyperintensity and non-enhancing areas immediately adjacent to the enhancing portion of the tumour. A peri-tumoural choline/N-acetyl-aspartate ratio of >1 was classified as positive, meaning primary brain tumour. Statistical analysis was performed using a 2 x 2 contingency table. The interclass correlation coefficient (alpha) was calculated as the index of concordance exceeding chance for inter-rater reliability. Results: Of 18 patients, four were excluded from the study owing to absence of peri-tumoural cerebral oedema. Of the remaining 14 patients, nine had a solitary intra-axial high-grade gliomas confirmed pathologically, of whom eight had a peri-tumoural choline/N-acetyl-aspartate ratio of >1. The remaining five patients were classified as having a solitary brain metastasis with no known primary. A choline/N-acetyl-aspartate ratio of >1 in peritumoural region can be used as a parameter predicting a primary brain tumour; respective values for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 90%, 100%, 100% and 83%, respectively. Conclusion: The peri-tumoural choline/N-acetyl-aspartate ratio of >1 can be used as a parameter to differentiate the intra-axial primary brain tumour from metastasis. © 2010 Hong Kong College of Radiologists.link_to_subscribed_fulltex