Functional dyspepsia: recent advances in pathophysiology

Functional (non-ulcer) dyspepsia is a common disease. With effective treatment now available for peptic ulcer; functional dyspepsia remains a major therapeutic challenge in gastrointestinal medicine. Despite advances in technology and diagnostic methods, the 'true' underlying pathogenic abnormality in this disease remains elusive. It is likely that functional dyspepsia is a heterogeneous disorder with multiple aetiological factors. In this article various pathophysiological abnormalities in functional dyspepsia are discussed, and possible aetiological mechanisms proposed.published_or_final_versio

The need for Helicobacter pylori eradiction therapy in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding

Peptic ulcer bleeding is an important complication of peptic ulceration. The condition carries significant morbidity and mortality despite advances in both endoscopic intervention techniques and pharmacological treatment. About one third of patients have a recurrence of bleeding within a few years of discharge. Before Helicobacter pylori was discovered, most of these patients were given maintenance therapy with antisecretory drugs or surgery to prevent a recurrence of the bleeding. Since the eradication of Helicobacter pylori reduces the recurrence of uncomplicated peptic ulcers, its eradication should also reduce peptic ulcer complications. The aim of this review is to discuss the value of eradicating Helicobacter pylori as part of the long-term management of bleeding peptic ulcers.published_or_final_versio

Dyspepsia

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Extragastroduodenal conditions associated with Helicobacter pylori infection

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that is considered a causative agent of peptic ulcer disease, gastric lymphoma, and gastric carcinoma. Helicobacter pylori triggers an intense leucocyte infiltration of the gastric submucosa, an action which is mediated by pro-inflammatory cytokines. This pathogenetic mechanism is common to many other diseases and consequently, Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence has also been investigated in other diseases. It is now known that Helicobacter pylori seropositivity is associated with various cardiovascular, respiratory, extragastroduodenal digestive, neurological, dermatological, autoimmune, and growth disorders. Although the precise role of Helicobacter pylori is unknown in these diseases, the organism can be eradicated using simple and reliable drug regimens. The conditions associated with Helicobacter pylori seropositivity are highlighted in this article.published_or_final_versio

Combination of Arginine Depletion and Chemotherapy in Thoracic Malignancies

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The influence of the language that Hong Kong primary school students habitually speak at home on their Chinese reading ability in school

This study examines how the language used at home, Putonghua or Cantonese, has influenced the Chinese reading attainment of 4335 primary school students in Hong Kong. Also examined was the influence of the birthplace and home background socioeconomic status (SES) of the reader. Although the indigenous Hong Kong population uses Cantonese, a dialect of Chinese, for everyday communications, the Chinese written in school is Modern Standard Written Chinese (MSWC), the written equivalent of Putonghua, the spoken language of the people of China. Many of the numerous families migrating from China to Hong Kong in recent years have brought with them children educated in Putonghua in China and with extensive experience of MSWC. It was hypothesised that the reading attainment of these students would be superior to that of classmates born in Hong Kong and using Cantonese habitually. This would apply particularly to students from advantaged SES homes. The children born in China indeed had superior reading attainment. But children speaking Cantonese at home and Putonghua 'sometimes' had the highest reading scores, regardless of their birthplace or SES. The writers reflect on assumptions about the influence of the language used at home on language attainment and the implications for educational planning. © 2007 S-k. Tse et al.published_or_final_versio

How do people price air quality: empirical evidence from Hong Kong

We investigate how air pollution affects the transaction prices of high-rise apartments in Hong Kong. We use a three-dimensional Reynolds-stress turbulence model to simulate the air pollution level of each unit in high-rise apartment buildings in a densely populated area in Hong Kong (Study Area). We then verify the simulated results with site measurement data. Although the area is small, the variety of building forms and location of streets resulted in significant variation in air quality across apartment units. The apartments in the Study Area are actively traded and relatively homogenous. We estimate the implicit price by constructing a hedonic price model that includes the simulated apartment specific air pollution level as one of the explanatory variables. We find that the apartment prices are more sensitive to air quality in more polluted areas.published_or_final_versio

Gastro-oesophageal reflux in bronchiectasis

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Arsenic trioxide suppresses tumour growth in squamous cell lung carcinoma

This journal suppl. entitled: 20th Medical Research Conference; Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong KongINTRODUCTION: Squamous cell lung carcinoma (SCC) belongs to the second most common subtype in non–small-cell lung carcinoma. Recently, doublet chemotherapy regimens remain the cornerstone of first-line systemic treatment. Therefore, new therapeutic approach is urgently needed. Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is a traditional Chinese medicine which has multiple anti-cancer mechanisms including apoptosis. ATO has been used clinically in acute promyelocytic leukaemia. ATO has been shown to induce apoptosis in lung adenocarcinoma …published_or_final_versio

Gastro-oesophageal reflux in bronchiectasis

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